HIDDEN IN PLACE: The Journey of the American Dream: Amy Ritter
Runs / January 5 – February 25, 2024
Reception / Friday, January 5, 6-9 PM
Hours: Sat-Sun from 2-6 PM
This winter, Grizzly Grizzly presents a solo exhibition by Amy Ritter, titled HIDDEN IN PLACE: The Journey of the American Dream. Drawing inspiration from her upbringing in a double-wide trailer, Ritter's installation weaves together photographs and audio sourced from her ongoing Mobile Home archive. For this show, Ritter focuses on Pennsylvania mobile home parks including Li’l Wolf, her parents' mobile home community in eastern Pennsylvania.
In 2015, Ritter established the MH Archive to meticulously document the often-overlooked and marginalized mobile home communities scattered across the United States. Through extensive travel, photography, video, and audio recordings, Ritter delves into the world of manufactured housing. In conversation with residents, Ritter seeks to capture the essence of their American Dreams through sound recordings collected on-site and via phone. Through her close collaboration with residents of these communities, she sheds light on unjust regulations and predatory investment practices.
Ritter includes several series of photographs derived from her MH Archive for this new installation. The Hidden series comprises three black-and-white photographs featuring mobile homes engulfed by shrubs and trees, rendering them almost unrecognizable. Beyond aesthetics, these shrubs serve as both a property embellishment and a means of privacy. Residents often grapple with the feeling of being observed and confined by societal stigmas attached to them and their homes.
Scaled to the actual size of a mobile home window, the sculptural photograph Li’l Wolf 6 features a window at her father’s home, revealing both the exterior and interior of his living space, offering a firsthand glimpse into his personal life. Rich in detail, the image unveils the insecurities haunting Ritter’s father, representative of thousands of other mobile home residents. Her work brings to the forefront the challenges faced by mobile home residents, prompting viewers to project their own perceptions of the American Dream onto Ritter’s father. Through his daughter’s lens, he becomes a window into the psyche of an entire generation, leaving us pondering: “How do we restore the dignity of those who are left behind?”
Artist Bio:
Amy Ritter, raised in the rural town of Orefield in Eastern Pennsylvania, explores her identity through the lens of mobile homes and their interior landscapes. Her art, rooted in memories of growing up in a mobile home community, manifests in immersive installations and public sculptures. Over the past seven years, Ritter has documented over 50 mobile home parks across 17 states, employing photography and recorded conversations with residents to systematically archive these spaces. Her work delves into questions surrounding the American Dream, addressing the myth of social mobility and challenging the stigma associated with manufactured housing.
Ritter has exhibited her work nationally for over a decade and has been awarded numerous residencies and fellowships. Selected honors include the Fine Arts Work Center, MA (2016), Skowhegan, ME (2016), Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Workspace Residency, NY (2017), a fellowship at Yaddo, NY (2020), an Engaging Artist Fellowship at More Art, NY (2021), Anderson Ranch (2024), a Puffin Foundation Grant (2023), and a NYFA Artist Fellowship (2023), among others. She earned her MFA from Ohio State University (2014) and her BFA from Tyler School of Art (2009).