In Her Hands: Women Cultivating North Carolina’s Land – Exhibit Opening and Artist’s Talk

What does it mean to be a woman working in agriculture? In Her Hands: Women Cultivating North Carolina’s Land explores this question through the documentation of the harvest and people of four farms where conscientious farming practices and intentional investments in education are shaping the future of farming.

Through experimental imaging and documentary photography, Bren Vienrich-Felling invites viewers to consider how conceptions of gender influence access and acceptance of roles within agriculture. Felling explores these women’s experiences in farming from the lens of a farmer’s daughter; the project responds to the obstacles and resistance Felling witnessed her mother and aunt overcome as they moved into the role of managing the family’s cattle ranch in the Amazon of Peru. Now documenting woman farmers in her adopted homeland of North Carolina, Felling reflects on the strength, resilience, and adaptability of those who, rising above stereotypes and preconceived notions, embrace the ways they are particularly fit to sustain, educate and nourish their families and surrounding communities through their farms.

Reception 5:00 p.m.

Artist’s Talk 6:00 p.m.

Amy Fiedler, Heather Haley, and Valarie Jarvis, three of the farmers featured in the exhibit, will join Vienrich-Felling in a panel discussion during the artist’s talk, moderated by Tom Rankin.

Bren Vienrich-Felling (she/ her) is an artist and educator who explores documentary-driven stories within the mediums of cinematic expression, photography and printmaking. Her work has focused on themes related to human connections in nature, women’s issues and cultural identity. Born in Lima, Peru in 1987, Bren immigrated to the United States at a young age and grew up in North Carolina. Following her graduation from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she received a BFA in Studio Art, she worked as a multimedia artist for fourteen years and led roles as designer, consultant and art director for a variety of clients. She has collaborated with others on projects that span animation, filmmaking, design and photography. She is a graduate student within the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts program at Duke University and a 2024–2025 Kenan Institute for Ethics Graduate Arts Fellow.