portraits | Minnesota Prairie Roots

Minnesota Faces: Our newest immigrant families March 20, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: black-and-white photography, Faribault, Minnesota, Minnesota Faces, photography, portraits, Somali immigrant

Portrait #13: A boy with an unforgettably sweet face

He represents the present and the future, the changing face of my Minnesota community, of many Minnesota communities. More and more, Somali and other immigrants are settling in our state, starting life anew.

I photographed this young boy at Faribault’s 2012 International Festival.

Oh, the sweetness of his face and those big dark eyes. I just wanted to hug him.

He possesses a soulful look beyond his young years, a depth that defies definition. I can’t pinpoint precisely what I see, but there’s something in this portrait that mesmerizes me.

Perhaps it is his childhood innocence. Trust. A certain softness. The hint of a smile. Hope.

What do you see in this boy’s face?

This is part of a series, Minnesota Faces, featured every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

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Minnesota Faces: Friends February 27, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: black-and-white photography, Faribault, friends, International Festival Faribault, Minnesota, Minnesota Faces, photography, portraits, racial prejudice, Somalis

Portrait 9: Nimo and Nasteho

Friends, Nimo, left, and Nasteho.

“They assume I’m a terrorist.”

I’ll always remember that statement shared with me 2 ½ years ago by a then high school senior who asked me to photograph her and a friend at the International Festival Faribault.

Nasteho, a native of Kenya, posed with Nimo for this beautiful portrait of the pair. They were among students volunteering at the fest.

What Nasteho told me that August day in 2012 broke my heart. She’d been subjected to ongoing insults from a customer in her workplace, felt stares at the grocery store, been flipped the bird while driving. All because of the way she dressed, her skin color and her ethnicity.

“There is no respect for Somalis,” she concluded.

I couldn’t disagree with her. I’d heard the negative comments, too, about Faribault’s newest immigrants.

Despite the outright prejudice Nasteho had already endured at such a young age, she did not appear bitter or angry, only desiring of respect and understanding. She seemed wise beyond her years. Poised. Thoughtful. Well-spoken.

I recall thinking, if only those who hold disdain for Somalis could meet Nasteho. They would see her as the beautiful, young and spirited woman I photographed.

It is the personal connections that bridge differences. I believed that then. I still believe that now.

This is part of a series, Minnesota Faces, featured every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

Comments (27)

Minnesota Faces: A pastor with prairie roots February 20, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: black-and-white photography, churches, Gordon Deuel, Hendricks, Little Prairie United Methodist Church, Minnesota, Minnesota Faces, Minnesota prairie, pastors, photography, portraits, rural Dundas, southwestern Minnesota

Portrait #8: Pastor Gordon

This week, the beginning of Lent and Christ’s journey toward crucifixion, seems an appropriate time to feature a portrait of a pastor.

I met the Rev. Gordon Deuel several summers ago when he was still shepherding Little Prairie United Methodist Church, rural Dundas. He left in June 2013 to become the Elko New Market Campus Pastor for Lakeville-based Crossroads Church.

My introduction to this clergyman happened on a Sunday afternoon when my husband and I stopped at Little Prairie School, a former country school located kitty corner from the Little Prairie church. Pastor Gordon noticed us lingering, walked across the road and unlocked the door into the historic building.

Later, we strolled over to the church and poked around. That’s when I captured this portrait of the preacher in beautiful natural light.

While talking to Rev. Gordon, I learned that he, like me, is a native of southwestern Minnesota. He’s from Hendricks, which is about as close to South Dakota as you can get without being in it. I always feel a special kinship with prairie people. We are rooted deep in the land, appreciative of wide open spaces and big skies, fields and small towns. We don’t dismiss the prairie as the middle of nowhere, as some place to pass through en route to somewhere better. The prairie is home, whether we still live there or not.

With that commonality of place, I connected with Pastor Gordon that Sunday afternoon in August 2012.

Now, 2 ½ years later, after visiting the City of Hendricks website, I understand even more how people and place shaped the pastor. Here’s a snippet of well-crafted writing designed to draw visitors and new residents to this rural community of some 700 folks just a stone’s throw from South Dakota:

The residents of Hendricks have focused on creating a town which is a perfect place for children. Our school district is one of the best in the nation. Our weather is temperate and provides for four seasons of fun. We are well grounded in our past, as we continue to worship in a prairie church which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. We look to better our tomorrow through efforts such as our wind farm and organic farming. We believe you will find the Hendricks, Minnesota, quality of life second to none.

And I expect, as in Lake Wobegon, that “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average” in this “Little Town by the Lake.”

This is part of a series, Minnesota Faces, published every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

Lake Wobegon quote is from Minnesota writer Garrison Keillor.

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Minnesota Faces: Flood survivor January 30, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: flash flood, Minnesota, Minnesota Faces, natural disaster, photography, portrait photography, portraits, Tracy Yennie, Zumbro Falls

Portrait #5: Tracy Yennie, after the flood

She’s a young woman I will always remember. Tracy Yennie. Strong. Determined. Thankful. A redneck. Her word, not mine.

When I met this mother of four young boys in early October 2010, she was hanging out next to the Salvation Army trailer in downtown Zumbro Falls, a small southeastern Minnesota community ravaged by a September 23/24 flash flood. Tracy’s family lost nearly everything, as did many others, and was camping in a shed on their riverside property.

When I interviewed Tracy, she was waiting on FEMA. She talked strong, invincible. But I could see the weariness in her eyes, edged by dark circles. I saw beneath her tough veneer. I saw a woman concerned about her future.

I wonder sometimes what happened to Tracy and her family. Do they still live in her hometown of Zumbro Falls? Or did the flood force them out?

Of all the portraits I’ve taken, Tracy’s ranks as perhaps my favorite. This photo tells the story of one woman dealing with disaster. And beyond Tracy, if you look at the details, you notice steps leading to the Salvation Army trailer. You notice the flowers behind her, still standing after the flood. You notice a business district seemingly unscathed. But if you were to walk the sidewalks, you would see the damage close-up.

This photo documents disaster in a personal way. It shows disaster as more than a number or an insurance claim. This image puts a face on disaster. And that is powerful.

This portrait is part of a new series, Minnesota Faces, featured every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

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Minnesota Faces: Madeline January 23, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:01 AM
Tags: black-and-white portraits, church dinner, Faribault, Minnesota Faces, photography, photos, portrait series, portraits

PORTRAIT #4: Madeline, bearer of Christmas cake

Sweet Madeline served Christmas cake at the 2013 Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church Community Christmas Dinner in Faribault.

I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to photograph this young volunteer draped in what I expect was a vintage apron, delivering cake on a vintage tray.

This isn’t just any old cake. It’s Poke Cake—white cake mix baked, poked with fork tines and flooded with red or green Jell-O, then topped with Cool Whip (or maybe Dream Whip) and sprinkled with red or green sugar. It’s a recipe that’s, oh, so 70s.

I purposely framed this portrait to include a section of the holiday banner, the aged door and the light switch. Those, too, are part of this portrait story from a Minnesota church basement.

This portrait is part of a new series, Minnesota Faces, featured every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

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Minnesota Faces: A Minnesota blogger January 9, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:01 AM
Tags: Audrey Kletscher Helbling, black-and-white photos, blogger, Minnesota, Minnesota Faces, Minnesotans, photography, portrait series, portraits, winter

Portrait #2: Audrey, unfashionably dressed Minnesota blogger

Baby, it’s cold out there.

I’d intended to run a different portrait today. But when weather intervened, I pulled out this selfie, which isn’t really a selfie. My husband, Randy, took this photo of me on December 7, 2013, after ringing bells, outdoors, for the Salvation Army. The temperature hovered around zero degrees Fahrenheit.

I bundled into Randy’s insulated Dickies coveralls, topped those with a heavy fleece-lined sweatshirt, wrapped two scarves around my neck, pulled on a Mrs. Claus hat and snugged into warm mittens and felt-lined snow boots for our two-hour shift. My goals were minimal skin exposure and warmth. Not fashion.

This past week in Minnesota, you would have spotted many folks bundled up, aiming to stay warm. When I shoveled snow on Tuesday and Thursday, I was dressed nearly exactly as you see in this year-old photo.

With temps plunging well below zero, wind creating “feels like” temps in the minus 30s and 40s and blizzard/white-out conditions in portions of our state, practicality and survival trump fashion.

This portrait is part of a new series, Minnesota Faces, featured every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.

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A new series: Minnesota faces January 2, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: black-and-white, Faribault, Folgers coffee, Minnesota, Minnesotans, photography, photos, portrait series, portraits

DURING MORE THAN FIVE YEARS of blogging, I’ve photographed many a Minnesotan. Young and old. And in between.

From my cousin’s young daughter passing a tray of chocolates at a 50th anniversary party to a woman sitting under an old-fashioned hair dryer at a West Concord beauty salon to our newest immigrants celebrating their heritage at Faribault’s International Festival, I’ve photographed a wide range of subjects.

Some of the images are posed portraits, others snapshot style.

Each photo tells a story— through lines etched into a face, in the tilt of the head, the look in an eye or perhaps the way hands fold. Or a smile. Or not.

Light and setting add to the story. Sometimes the environment tells as much, if not more, than the face.

I’m not a professional portrait photographer. It’s just me and my Canon DSLR. No fancy lighting. No anything except the camera lens between me and my subject.

To photograph these individuals has been an honor. Truly. I delight in showcasing the people, places and events of rural Minnesota, where I’ve lived my entire life.

Beginning today, and every Friday until I run out of images, I will pull a portrait from my files and show you a face. The face of a Minnesotan.

And because I appreciate the timeless beauty of black-and-white photos, those portraits will be void of color.

Words will be sparse. Instead, I want you to focus on the image. The faces that tell the stories.

PORTRAIT #1: Dan, who claims Folgers is the best.

Dan Tersteeg tends the coffee at the annual Community Christmas Dinner at Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church in Faribault. I shot this portrait two years ago in the church basement. But I could have taken it this past December as Dan was in the same spot overseeing the coffee. Dan told me in 2012 that he always uses Folgers because it works best with Faribault’s water. I believe him. Who am I to question the guy in charge of the coffee?

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Minnesotans remember the Holocaust in traveling exhibit June 23, 2014

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: David Sherman, history, Holocaust, Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota, Minnesota, Owatonna, photo exhibit, portraits, Steele County History Center, stories, Transfer of Memory, traveling exhibit

I READ IT IN THEIR STORIES. Courage. Hope. Strength. Fortitude. Survival.

I see it in the lines that etch deep into their faces, in their piercing eyes, in their hands. Courage. Hope. Strength. Fortitude. Survival.

Panels showcase portraits and stories.

They are men and women, now living in Minnesota, who survived the Holocaust.

On a recent Saturday, in Owatonna, a rural Minnesota community far removed from the horrible history of Nazis and concentration camps and atrocities against Jews, I was introduced to brave souls who endured almost unimaginable experiences to emerge with spirits still strong, hope alive, lives to live.

Holocaust survivor Leo Weiss.

Eva, Ella, Sam, Walter, Paula, Anne, Joe, Trudy, Leo…

The Steele County History Center, 1700 Austin Road, Owatonna, is hosting “Transfer of Memory” through August 17. Museum admission charges apply.

Thirty-five impressive portraits by photographer David Sherman and accompanying information written by Lili Chester tell the stories of these Holocaust survivors in the traveling exhibit, “Transfer of Memory.” The show, created in partnership with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, will remain at the Steele County History Center until August 17.

Their stories will touch you.

I’m especially pleased that this exhibit is showing in Owatonna, offering southeastern Minnesota residents like myself the opportunity to view the portraits and read the stories without traveling into the Twin Cities metro.

Panels of portraits and stories define “Transfer of Memory.”

As I perused the panels of photos, plucking laminated story cards from below the portraits, I found myself immersed in the personal stories of survival and lessons learned. Hands gripped to prevent separation. Warnings given to save lives. Lying about age and religion to save one’s self. Death and marches and sickness. Horrible horrible stories.

In their words: hope.

But always hope. Hope and faith and more allowed these individuals to survive such awful atrocities.

I wonder if I would have possessed the willpower to continue on, to overcome, as they did.

Survivor portraits and stories impress.

These Holocaust survivors offer not only their experiences, but their introspection. Therein lies the power of this exhibit:

Don’t hate, it is a terrible thing. Everyone is born innocent. There is no reason to hate.— Eva Gross

The United State presents to me and all our sons and daughter (s) an equal opportunity. Have patience, make an effort and be tolerant.— Sam Rafowitz

The potential of (evil) is there in all of us if we do not remember the past.— Lucy Smith

FYI: If you are unable to view this exhibit in person, click here to see the portraits and read the stories online.

Permission was secured from curators Laura Zelle and Susie Greenberg and from photographer David Sherman to use these photos of Sherman’s work and the exhibit quotes published here. Original exhibit photos and text are copyrighted.

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Mn Prairie Roots’ photo favs from July – September 2012 January 2, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:26 AM
Tags: Minnesota, Minnesota Prairie Roots, photography, photos, portraits, year in review

TODAY WE CONTINUE to scroll back through my 2012 posts, seeking out my most-loved photos. I planned to present to you images from the final six months of the year. But, I’m narrowing our focus today to the months of July – September because, clearly, when you live in Minnesota like me, you take many more photos during the warmer months than during the winter.

Given the sheer volume of photos from summer into early autumn, I found choosing a single image per month an impossible task.

Five-year-old David of Faribault, aka Apache Shadow, was among costumed reenactors from the Old West Regulators at the extravaganza.

JULY: Have you ever seen a cuter cowboy? The 26th annual Steele County Historical Society Extravaganza at the Village of Yesteryear in Owatonna presented numerous interesting photo ops, including this portrait of re-enactor David, aka Apache Shadow. I also shot the portrait, below, at the same event:

Family photo of John and Frank Styndl.

John Styndl was demonstrating blacksmithing skills when I asked him to pose with this cut-out of his great great grandfather, Frank Styndl. The family resemblance was remarkable.

At the same event, I shot this photo, a favorite because of the composition and how the word “horses” relates to the horsepower of the tractors.

Horsepower at the Steele County Fairgrounds, Owatonna, Minnesota.

You might also rightly speculate that the farm girl in me considered the tractors worthy of a photo.

An elderly man turns to a hymn in the old pocket-size songbook that’s been used for decades at the mission fest.

AUGUST took me to Marquardt’s Grove south of Janesville on a Sunday morning for an old-fashioned outdoor mission festival hosted by Freedom and Wilton churches. I roved around the wooded hillside for the entire service and afterward for the potluck to bring you a photo essay of this memorable event. Even hands can tell a story and this, by far, rates as my most beloved image from that outdoor worship service. (You can view one of my photo essays from that day by clicking here.)

That same little boy who was so intently focused on the musician.

A portrait taken at the International Festival Faribault.

Also in AUGUST, I shot some of my best portraits of the year at the International Festival Faribault. To see more portraits and photos from this festival, click here.

“The observer”

SEPTEMBER: Labor Day weekend brings the Rice County Steam and Gas Engine Show to rural Dundas and ample opportunity for some great photos. I chose this image to highlight because of the perspective from which I took it and because this leaves you wondering, “What is the aging farmer thinking as he stands there watching the threshing crew?”

Singing Hills Coffee Shop’s delicious maple bacon sundae.

SEPTEMBER also brought the sweet discovery of Singing Hills Coffee Shop in Waterville while on a Sunday afternoon drive. I dared to try the maple bacon sundae and loved it. You just have to see the inside of Singing Hills, so click here for a tour.

Inside Nemo, my absolute favorite part of the entire antique theme park.

Another wonderful discovery in SEPTEMBER was Hot Sam’s Antique Shop (theme park) south of Lakeville. For decades I’ve seen the sign and the kitschy hillside art from Interstate 35. I cannot believe it took me this long to visit. This is a must-see for anyone who loves junk, art and creativity. Click here to view more images.

Tending the popcorn machine.

Finally, the waning days of SEPTEMBER took me to a 50th wedding anniversary barn dance near Dundas. Although the lighting for photos was not particularly good in the dark barn, I managed to capture this sweet pic of the popcorn makers/servers.

So I’ll leave you here, lingering in the final days of autumn, before taking you, tomorrow, into the final days of 2012.

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Gallery show for 92-year-old artist opens tonight January 14, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:26 AM
Tags: art, artist, Faribault, gallery show, Minnesota, oil paintings, paintings, Paradise Center for the Arts, portraits, religious paintings, Rhody Yule

The artist, Rhody Yule

TONIGHT MARKS A MOMENTOUS occasion for my friend Rhody Yule.

Tonight his first-ever art gallery exhibit opens in The Carlander Family Gallery at the Paradise Center for the Arts in downtown Faribault.

Maybe to most artists, this would not be a big deal. But, when you’re 92, like Rhody, and have been quietly painting for 76 years, it’s a very big deal to put your art out there for all to see in a gallery setting.

During the past six months, as I’ve worked to make this show happen, I’ve met many times with Rhody. Every time we’ve talked, he’s humbly downplayed his talent. That’s just Rhody—a gentle man who prefers not to be the center of attention.

Yet, tonight, along with Adam Kuehnel, a watercolor artist about 60 years his junior and who is exhibiting in another gallery, Rhody will receive the public recognition he deserves for his oil paintings.

I’m glad this night has finally arrived because, more than once, Rhody joked, “I might die before then (the art show).”

I always responded: “Don’t you dare!”

Then he would smile and laugh. Truth be told, though, I worried.

But tonight, ah, tonight we’ll celebrate as “A Lifetime of Art: The Rhody Yule Collection” opens with an artists’ reception from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

For decades, most of Rhody's paintings were stored in this trailerhouse behind his rural home. (He has since moved.) The roof leaked and some of his art was damaged.

One of Rhody's rural landscapes, among several now exhibited at the Paradise.

Rhody specializes in portraits and religious paintings like this one of Christ, which he calls "Misery."

Rhody's exhibit also features several of his sketchbooks, including this drawing.

FYI: The exhibit runs through February 26. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.

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Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Minnesota Faces: Our newest immigrant families March 20, 2015

Minnesota Faces: Friends February 27, 2015

Minnesota Faces: A pastor with prairie roots February 20, 2015

Minnesota Faces: Flood survivor January 30, 2015

Minnesota Faces: Madeline January 23, 2015

Minnesota Faces: A Minnesota blogger January 9, 2015

A new series: Minnesota faces January 2, 2015

Minnesotans remember the Holocaust in traveling exhibit June 23, 2014

Mn Prairie Roots’ photo favs from July – September 2012 January 2, 2013

Gallery show for 92-year-old artist opens tonight January 14, 2011

Follow Minnesota Prairie Roots via Email

An essay of barn photos & memories; In praise of preserving country churches; & Testing the track during a Soap Box Derby trial run in Faribault

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