Synkroniciti is pleased to welcome photographer Kevin Vivers from Kansas. “Gift Shop” is a whimsical portrait of a dilapidated rural structure. A discarded tire lies in front and a sign proclaims “More gifts in the house.” No doubt there was a time when this statement wasn’t ironic. Small towns all over the United States have fallen into disrepair–it often takes humor and a sense of kitsch to renew these places. Kevin’s quick eye draws our attention, planting seeds of awareness and curiosity.
View “Gift Shop” in our September 1st issue, “Broken,” available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Kevin Vivers was raised in small Kansas towns, one, a railroad hub brimming with activity and a vibrant downtown. It epitomized a great way of living. The other was more agricultural where the grain elevator and the feed store were located with the county courthouse in a parklike town square surrounded by small businesses. For several years, he has been documenting these small towns and how some are fading away while others have managed to reinvent themselves to find a new relevancy.
