Utah photos showcase pollution during '70s in Smithsonian state fair exhibit

Utah photos showcase pollution during '70s in Smithsonian state fair exhibit

(Bruce McAllister)


18 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — A traveling Smithsonian exhibit will be on display at the Utah State Fair, and it gives an eye-opening look into the American culture and pollution of the 1970s.

The "Searching for the Seventies: Documerica Photography Project" was launched in 1971 by the then-newly established U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The project was designed to document environmental troubles and triumphs across the country, and around 70 photographers were commissioned to help with the project, according to the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

"Their assignments were as varied as African American life in Chicago, urban renewal in Kansas City, commuters in Washington, D.C. and migrant farm workers in Colorado," the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service said. "From smokestacks to leisure suits, these images are a fascinating time capsule of '70s America."

From 1972 to 1977, more than 16,000 images were captured of environmental issues and U.S. culture. Ninety of the photos were selected and compiled for the exhibit that initially went on display at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, from March to September 2013.

Since then, the exhibit has traveled through 47 states and Guam.

Utah State Fairpark director of sales and marketing Jeff Kooring said after the remodel of the Pioneer Building, the committee decided to bring a nice exhibit to the state fair, making it the first time the exhibit had gone on display at a fair.

Water cooling towers of the John Amos Power Plant loom over a Poca, WV, home that is on the other side of the Kanawha River. Two of the towers emit great clouds of steam. Photo Credit: Harry Schaefer
Water cooling towers of the John Amos Power Plant loom over a Poca, WV, home that is on the other side of the Kanawha River. Two of the towers emit great clouds of steam. Photo Credit: Harry Schaefer

"It's totally different than what someone would expect at the fair," Kooring said. "It's a really cool exhibit. … I'm excited we chose this one. It gives a little more thought for people. This is really showing how we lived and how we can improve."

Utah Museum of Fine Arts curator Aaron Hardy said it took him almost a week to set up the 90 framed photos in the exhibit. Banners will also be hung as part of the exhibit and '70s furniture will be placed in a living-room setting.

Two of the photos in the exhibit were taken in Utah by photographer Bruce McAllister. One of the photos shows several abandoned vehicles and debris in an acid and oil-filled five-acre pond in Ogden. The other picture shows an Alta Youth Conservation Corp group working on a trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Kooring said even though the U.S. has made a lot of progress environmentally, there are other issues that haven't changed.

"It was 30 years ago, but not so much has changed," he said, looking at the photos in the exhibit. "There is still poverty and inequality."

The exhibit will be on display during the state fair from Sept. 10-20. The fair will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, except Sept. 15-17 when it will be open from noon to 10 p.m. Admission to the Utah State Fair is $10.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Faith Heaton Jolley

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast