Unplowed Realities examines farms, land, and animals as interconnected systems of survival, care, and resilience at a time when small farmers face mounting economic and environmental pressures.

Through portraiture, Joan O’Neal explores the animal gaze, positioning the dairy cow as a subject rather than a resource. Her portraits invite us to consider empathy, labor, vulnerability, and our relationships with other species.

George Shenk, community activist, experimental farmer, writer, and creative, explores the human labor of sustaining small farms and the vital connections between land, food, animals, and community.

Together, their work asks us to reconsider how we value land, labor, food, and life and reminds us that ecological health and community well-being are deeply connected.