Artist Statement
Forty years ago, horseracing was the most popular spectator sport in America. Around that time, I ponied a racehorse on the exercise track at Arlington Park outside of Chicago, and that glimpse of a world apart, a world centered around horses, left an indelible impression. These photographs of people, horses, and the trappings of ordinary life on the backside and front side of The Downs at Albuquerque, allude to the way racetrack life looks much as it did then. However, in recent years racing has declined precipitously, in part because of casinos, and many small and mid-level tracks have closed. One groom told me that most racetracks have become more like bus stations, with strangers just coming and going. “It used to be that everyone would get together to play cards and tell stories after they had finished with the horses,” he said. “Now it’s just a job. Still, at this track, it’s more like the old days.” The owners of The Downs have plans to move to a new, $65 million “racino” -- with double the number of slot machines -- in the little town of Moriarty. But for now, vestiges of the old days exist in the shadows of the grandstand that overlooks the finish line, and it is my aim to record these fragments while they remain.
Very elegant and classic..A YES!
Ellen Rennard
Groton, MA
United States
erennard@charter.net
www.ellenrennard.com
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