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Lana Z Caplan @ HARVEY MILK PHOTO CENTER

American Family 2, Oceano Dunes, SVRA, 2022

Lana Z Caplan: Oceano
January 25 – March 1, 2025

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 25, 2 – 5 pm

“The Oceano Dunes just south of San Luis Obispo in California are known in part for their majestic natural formations and miles of windswept rolling sand. These are the iconic dunes of Edward Weston’s breathtaking photographs; of Cecil B. DeMille’s recently excavated and restored sphinxes from his 1923 Ten Commandments movie set; of the Dunites—a bohemian group of artists who squatted in dune shacks in the 1920’s-40’s—and of the nearly lost Northern Chumash tribe who holds a vast and rich cultural history going back over 10,000 years.

Today, the Oceano Dunes have been transformed into a place that is far from the utopian American West landscape that was embraced by the Dunites. Rather, it is now an active and wildly popular State Vehicular Recreation Area filled with hikers and campers, RV encampments, and members of the local community. California State Parks issues 1,500 day passes and 600 nightly camping permits to the riders for their off-road, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) that they rip up and down the dunes wreaking havoc on the environment. Vehicles grinding sand under their wheels everyday creates dust blowing off the dunes, generating days of the worst air quality in the nation for the nearby residents. The dust contains particulate matter small enough to lodge in the lungs, causing asthma and other medical conditions.”

HARVEY MILK PHOTO CENTER
50 Scott Street, San Francisco, CA 94117

Oceano – for seven generations Lana Z Caplan


Location: California, San Francisco Type:

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