An introduction...

Boonies
....1. Rural Country; The Backwoods
....2. Wild and dense brush; Jungle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Spencer Chandler, Cannery Works
212-594-6464 / www.canneryworks.org

Six-Month Cross-Country Journey BOONVILLE USA to Launch August 1, 2007.

New York, NY, July 31, 2007 - Photographer Timothy Briner and Cannery Works, a New York based nonprofit arts group, are proud to announce the launch of the Boonville project, an ambitious six-month photographic journey to six different towns named Boonville.

“Much of small-town America is drastically changing,” says Briner. “There's been population booms and a rise of corporate development over the last 25 years. Some towns are benefiting from this, others are slowly dying. Some call it progress. I think the heart and soul of America is undergoing a significant evolution.”

Beginning in August, with little more than a borrowed vehicle, and donated equipment, Briner plans to document what’s happening in small towns today. According to Briner, "Each of the six Boonvilles vary in size, history and geography, which offers a window into where we've been as a country, and where we're headed. My aim is to transport people with photography, and to bring back a sense of time, place, and atmosphere that touches something universal and current in the American experience.""

“Proximity, trust, and patience are key to the intimacy of my work," says Briner. "As someone who grew up in rural Indiana, I don't think I'll have any trouble fitting in. But with Boonville I want to be sure to allow myself up to four weeks in each town, so I can really get a feel for what makes each community tick. What makes them different? What makes them seem the same? What do we have in common as Americans?"

Driving solo, with photographic equipment in tow, Briner plans to stay with families in each Boonville. "I believe that staying with locals is key to this project, so I can truly get inside each town." Boonville will begin in the town of Boonville, Missouri in August and finish in early 2008 in Boonville, California; Timothy will also be traveling to Boonvilles in N. Carolina, New York, Indiana and Texas, where a once thriving pioneer community eventually became extinct. "I'm using these six unique towns and their common name to create a visual representation of all small towns across the country. I'm looking forward to the day when all the photographs have been arranged to create a larger, almost mythic Boonville."

“We select artists and projects that bring warmth and humanity to the public arena,” says Cannery Works Artistic Director and Founder Spencer Chandler. “Tim's a fantastic young photographer, and Boonville has the potential to be meaningful and accessible. It's an ambitious trip, but an important one, both for Tim and the public."

Cannery Works, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit named for its platform to accept donations of canned goods at their events, is currently accepting donations towards travel expenses for Boonville and the six-month journey. "Tim's alma mater, The Hallmark Institute of Photography, has generously made available all the necessary photographic gear for the full six months,” says Chandler. “We're now seeking help with housing, transport, and food costs, which will cost about $3,000 a month. We're very frugal. It’s part of our mission."

The final Boonville photographs will be made available in a limited-edition monograph as well as through gallery and museum exhibitions. For more information on how to get involved in supporting Boonville, Cannery Works, and Timothy Briner, call 212-594-6464 or visit us on the web: www.canneryworks.org.

###