Photographer M.J. Alexander has spent years documenting the people of Oklahoma through her unique photographic style
Her latest series introduces the youngest generation of Oklahomans by capturing profound images of their lives. Pictures depict children keeping traditions alive – through the rodeo circuit, harvest festivals, ranch barbeques, Vietnamese ceremonies, cowboy church services, Mexican folkloric dances, Czech parades, Indian language schools – and others being exposed to life in Oklahoma for the first time.
There are images of children at food pantries, looking for their next meal; children rooted for seven generations to the same piece of land; children already on the road to national recognition; children looking to make a difference in ways big and small. As Alexander describes: “each child is unique; a self-contained poem, arranged here into verses, stanzas, chapters. Their portraits distill something of their essence, and of the story of Oklahoma in the 21st century.”
