AMERICAN GROUND ZERO
“My
profession, which is in my soul, is to document things,” says
photographer Carole Gallagher. For seven years, she worked on
American Ground Zero: The Secret Nuclear War, a book that documents
the aftermath of nuclear testing in Utah and the West’s “culture of
cancer” through photography and oral history. In an upcoming Denver
show and lecture, she will profile some of the West’s downwinders,
atomic veterans and test-site workers whose lives are plagued by
illness. Her work has made friends in high places; until the
Justice Department vetoed the idea, Gallagher says Energy Secretary
Hazel O’Leary had planned to write the introduction for the book’s
paperback version. The exhibit, based on Gallagher’s book, runs
Feb. 10-March 16 at the University of Denver School of Art, 2121 E.
Asbury St. On Feb. 9 at 6:45 p.m, the photograper will talk about
her experiences compiling the book. For more information call the
School of Art at
303/871-2846.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline American Ground Zero.
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