Wars in the Middle East, rising gas prices and the change in the American farming industry are just a few ways that diminishing oil reserves have transformed our world. Through photographing the rapidly depleting oil wells of Westhope, North Dakota that are owned within my extended family in Seattle, Washington, I have begun to explore the future of oil in this small town and the changes within this 550-person community as the oil wells go dry.

Located six miles south of the Canadian boarder, Westhope and its inhospitable landscape were originally homesteaded in 1904. During the 1950’s, after the discovery of oil in neighboring Canada, oil was found in North Dakota. Farm families who were previously dependant on unpredictable crops have become millionaires. A landscape once covered with farms is now peppered with oil rigs. As this non-renewable resource is depleted, the descendants of these Midwestern farmers-turned-drillers face the challenge of a dwindling livelihood. What will happen to those that only have claim to the mineral rights, and what future is there for those who have claim to the land? Fifty years after the first discovery of oil, the landscape of Westhope is again transforming as the oil wells are plugged and sunflowers, canola and other bio-diesel crops are planted.

I am exploring and examining Westhope, its people, and its oil and bio-diesel fields during the different seasons, searching for traces of the adaptation of Westhope’s industry and environment. My objective is to create a large-scale multimedia installation consisting of still photography, video and sound that deals with this historical farming community’s return to its agricultural roots and the coexistence of these two seemingly contradictory industries. This work addresses the changing economy and geological landscape of Westhope, North Dakota due to the depletion of its oil reserves.

AD 561 - Advanced Photography, Prof. Gary Minnix