Michaela Foreman

Michaela Foreman was an urban-based computer programmer, project manager and entrepreneur before moving to rural Wisconsin to become a farmer.  For the past five years, Foreman’s photography has evolved along with her experiences as a new agriculturalist.  From chronicling day-to-day farm life capturing her euphoric new world, she records images that evoke the often brutal and isolated conditions of being a farmer in a rural community during a Wisconsin winter.  This series of photographs pointedly captures the environmental extremes and resultant impact on the landscape; a world devoid of color and warmth. These stark images are offset by what Foreman describes as farm treasures, which she has collected over time.  As a way of coping throughout the pandemic in addition to personal loss and family mental health issues, Foreman sought out to establish the interconnected life of the farm coupled with the exhilaration of being outside; the human need to find beauty even in the worst of conditions. By daily working with horses and other animals, Foreman embraces their stoicism toward inclement weather, capturing their intimate moments. More importantly, these images are an homage to farmers who rise early to tend to their crops and animals no matter the weather, whose fortitude and stamina carry them through another lonely winter day. 

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