Jennifer Nehrbass

The one hundredth meridian historically marked the beginning of the West. The point where the frontier began and society ended. This invisible line signified the start of the endless landscape; one filled with unlimited possibilities, resources and opportunities.

In this series, the work examines the European exploration of the Western United States through a female perspective and in doing so creates fictional narratives. Landscape paintings once used to romanticize and to politicize notions of manifest destiny, are now recreated. 

These landscapes ask the viewer to imagine a world that has no man made boundaries. The lines are fluid creating a horizon that is ever changing. The moon and sun are purposefully placed as signifiers of direction. A true north or a beacon to bring one home. 

Historically landscape painting and photography were once used to inspire people to move out west. Users of social media share significant similarities. They post photos that are manipulated to create the best images to push personal and societal narratives. This series asks what is the best image and if it can be created or captured. My collages explore the western landscape with images that are pulled from various locations to become the idealized vistas. Realism mixes with abstraction to create tension between the physical and intellectual experience of space. A place where memory and reality collide.They are moments in time captured for posterity

Inspired by Will Cather’s “O Pioneers”  the portraits in this series are protagonists in a version of Western History where females are the explorers and documentarians. They are a mix of different times and influences, indicative of the cross pollination of cultures and spiritual beliefs. Included within this narrative are historical references of female agency. Women in Wyoming and Montana were the first women to have the right to vote. One reason is their power and wealth as proprietors of brothels.  These women represent the bravery of all who venture into the unknown to create a better life. We are all pioneers.