Artist Tanya Hamilton

12” x 19” print
Edition of 15

Kathryn & Zahra at Wells Ranch
As she buckles the bridle of her decorated steed before an evening ride, Kathryn and her horse Zahra share a quiet moment with one another, demonstrating a bond, a secret language, that only they understand.  The ranch, snuggled at the base of South Mountain, looks out across the valley and the city of Phoenix below.

The historic areas of South Phoenix and Laveen, AZ, have been producers of food, cotton, and flowers for decades.  The area has been home to generations of families, many of whom were forced to live in the areas south of downtown at a time when only white people were allowed to own property in specifically zoned areas of central and north Phoenix. The discriminatory practices of the past often meant that the communities relegated to the southern reaches of the Phoenix city limits were the last to receive funds for infrastructure, services, and education.

Despite the neglect, a community arose around the agriculture and equine origins of the area. Even today, local groceries and watering holes provide hitching posts for horses, and one can see modern day cowboys guide their horses on the sidewalk along Baseline as traffic zooms past. 

As builders are rapidly buying up the farmland for development, corn and cotton fields are giving way to housing developments and gas stations. In the three short years in which I have lived in South Phoenix, I have seen the beautiful land disappearing before my eyes; my heart aches for this loss and I can only imagine how much more painful it may feel to those whose families have called the area home for generations.  

I am merely a newcomer here, and very much a part of the influx of housing that is so permanently changing the landscape.  In recognition of what I have witnessed, of what feels incredibly special and fragile, I wanted to capture the beauty and significance of the riders of this area, who continue to love and care for their horses and small ranches, even as the subdivisions continue to go up all around them.