The Oxford Project

The Oxford Project began nearly 25 years ago, when photographer Peter Feldstein set out to photograph each of the 676 residents in his hometown of Oxford, Iowa. The collection of photographs that he compiled offered a candid look into life in small town America.

The project’s website explains:

In the storytelling tradition of Studs Terkel and the photographic spirit of Mike Disfarmer, The Oxford Project tells the extraordinary true tale of a seemingly ordinary Midwestern town through the pictures and words of its residents. Equal parts art, American history, cultural anthropology, and human narrative—The Oxford Project is at once personal and universal, surprising and predictable, simple and profound.

Two decades later, Feldstein has returned to his source material — tracking down and re-photographing as many of the original residents as possible. But this time, in collaboration with writer Stephen G. Bloom, Oxford residents are talking — sharing their memories, fantasies, failures, secrets, and fears — adding an even deeper narrative to Feldstein’s photographs.

Here’s the text of the original letter Feldstein prepared and distributed to his neighbors in Oxford, inviting them to be involved in the project:

Dear Neighbor,

During the month of May, I’m going to be working on a project to photograph everyone in Oxford. I will be contacting you during these next couple weeks to answer any questions you may have and to set up appointments. We would like you to dress as you are, not as you might look in your Sunday best.

Thank you, and I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Peter Feldstein

Welcome Books, the publisher of Feldstein and Bloom’s forthcoming book, The Oxford Project, have put together a short trailer for the book. Check it out here.

The Oxford Project