Photographer Matt Black returns to The Image Flow Thursday, September 10 to present his work documenting the impact of California’s historic drought on the Central Valley.
A native of rural California and one of the newest nominee members of the prestigious Magnum Photos Agency, Matt has spent the past two decades photographing life in the Central Valley’s small towns and farm fields. His work covering the drought was commissioned and published by the New Yorker, Mother Jones, and Le Monde.
“People’s wells are going dry, says Black, “that’s never occurred before.” The drought in California is the worst drought in the last 1,200 years, and 2014 came in as the worst single year ever. To date, over 1,500 wells have gone dry in Tulare County, one of the hardest hit regions in the state.
Matt views his work as a way to illuminate issues that are disconnected from the rest of the state and from the rest of the nation, hopes people who see the project will come away with an increased understanding of the situation in the Central Valley. “Through my work as a photographer, I’m able to focus attention on certain things,” says Matt. “That’s the role of this work; to make those connections.”
The benefit lecture will be held at The Image Flow in Mill Valley on September 10, from 7–10PM. Beer, wine & appetizers will be served starting at 7PM. The lecture will begin at 7:30PM. General admission tickets are $10 and available for purchase at the door or online.
All proceeds from the evening will go to the California Drought Relief Fund, a fundraising campaign to help people impacted by the drought, many of whom live in our state’s most disadvantaged communities. 100% of the money raised will go to local, on-the-ground groups working on drought and wildfire relief.
Matt graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Latin American and U.S. Labor History. His photographic work has been honored by the World Press Photo Foundation, the Alexia Foundation for World Peace, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation, and Pictures of the Year International, among others.
Discover more of Matt’s work on his website and read about his project Rural California’s Year of Dust.
Download the press release or send media inquiries to media@theimageflow.com.
