MPW.68 / 2016 Cuba
Meredith M. Goldberg / MPW.68
Welcome to Cuba, Mo.

The railroad put Cuba, Mo. on the map in 1857. But long before that Native Americans, and later trappers and settlers, traveled nearby along the Osage Trail. Eventually historic Route 66 would wind along that ancient trail and through town, only to be rendered obsolete years later by Interstate Highway 44.

Cuba touts itself as "a small town with big ideas." A push for economic development, with support from a local bank, helped Cuba reinvent itself beginning in the 1980s. Now the community is home to more than 20 small manufacturing companies, no small feat for a town of only 3,300.

A mural project spruced up downtown and now historic Route 66 attracts nostalgic tourists from across the world. So locals weren't surprised when 46 folks arrived from 15 different states and 10 foreign countries the last week of September. The cameras they carried didn't even draw much attention; all tourists tote them. But this group of photographers was different. In town for the 68th annual Missouri Photo Workshop, they set out to visually explore Cuba, finding stories like the barrel factory that was a large part of the economic revival; or a local taxidermist who had a dream to somehow honor the Osage Indians who ruled this part of Missouri for centuries; or young Mennonite single women coming of age in a community within a community; or Cowboy Colt, a seven-year-old who dreams of riding the range.


Workshoppers
    New York, N.Y. Baltimore, Md. Loveland, Colo. Hallandale Beach, Fla. Montclair, N.J. Sheffield, United Kingdom Chicago, Ill. Washington DC Vancouver, Canada Santa Barbara, Calif. Eganville, Canada Los Angeles, Calif. St. Joseph, Mo. Montreal, Canada San Francisco, Calif. Kempner, Texas Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Ottawa, Canada Doylestown, Pa. Washington DC New York, N.Y. Des Moines, Iowa Cannington, Canada South Brunswick, N.J. Bogota, Colombia Pasadena, Calif. Los Angeles, Calif. Havana, Cuba Marshall, Mo. Chicago, Ill. Ottawa, Canada Guangzhou, China Lynchburg, Va. Brookings, S.D. Nagpur, India Passeier, Italy New Port Richey, Fla. Yakima, Wash. Fort Collins, Colo. Barrington, Ill. St. Louis, Mo. Los Angeles, Calif. Seoul, South Korea Oakland, Calif.
Workshop Details
Workshop: MPW.68 Location: Cuba, Mo. Population: 3,348 Dates: September 25-October 1, 2016 Photographers: 46



Faculty
Jim Curley David Rees Duane Dailey
Co-Director Co-Director Director Emeritus

MaryAnne Golon Randy Olson Lois Raimondo Eric Seals Lynn Johnson Kim Komenich Alan Berner Melissa Farlow Dennis Dimick Jim Richardson Bill Marr Mona Reeder

The Washington Post Freelance Photographer West Virginia University Detroit Free Press Freelance San Francisco State Univ. Seattle Times Freelance Photographer Eyes on Earth Eyes on Earth The Nature Conservancy Dallas Morning News

Team Chapnick Team Chapnick Team Cliff & Vi Team Cliff & Vi Team Eppridge Team Eppridge Team Garrett Team Garrett Team Gilka Team Gilka Team Lee Team Lee
Stories