Photographer Dina Kantor has been working with Duggal for many years and since 2010 has recently been photographing in Treece, Kansas. Treece is a former mining town with a population of around 140. Its last mines closed in the 1970s, leaving a small community of the children and grandchildren of miners.

In recent history, Treece became economically and environmentally devastated. The poverty level was more than twice the national average, and its residents had 60 percent more lead in their bloodstream than the average Kansan. Poor mining practices left the ground unstable and full of sinkholes. Mountains of “chat,” the toxic remnants of the mining, surround the town. The entire town (a designated EPA superfund site) is at the tail end of a government-funded relocation program. Over the past year, Treece’s residents slowly moved away, and the town’s remaining structures are scheduled for demolition. The water tower was sold at auction and even the roads were torn up.

For the past two years, Dina has been documenting (through photography) the change in both the community and the landscape throughout the government buyout. Through her imagery she has captured the dramatic changes in both life and landscape. Her interest lies in how the town’s sense of community is adapting as they leave their homes, “my photographs serve as an archive of the community, a document of its transformation, and an investigation into the environmental and economic impact of past practices on both individuals and the landscape”.

Currently, Dina lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and in 2007 she received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. Stay tuned to hear more about Dina’s exhibitions and more!

To learn more about Dina and see additional work please visit: www.dinakantor.com