This Summer we’re taking a closer look at people, places, and things that have been worn and weathered by the passing of time and years of use. Our focus is on subjects that contain decades of history and a myriad of stories in every line, wrinkle, or dent, especially in agricultural and rural settings.

Art and photography can focus on the landscapes and scenery that fill desertscapes, country roads, and working farms. Photographers might capture the grit and determination of working hands, the movement of horses and clouds of dust, and sun beams putting a spotlight on the character within abandoned buildings and well-loved homes. Artists could paint rolling hills or angled canyons studded with plants, and sketch centuries-old trees, trailing barbed wire fences, and flocks of starlings, highlighting the colors and textures of farm and field. In design, we’d love to see sturdy, hand drawn fonts, vintage and worn textures, and bold warm colors countered with subdued earth tones.