Jason Reblando

Jason Reblando received his MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago and a BA in Sociology from Boston College. He is a recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant to the Philippines and an Artist Fellowship Award from the Illinois Arts Council. His work has been published in the New York Times, Slate, Bloomberg Businessweek, Real Simple, Chicago Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and Camera Austria. His photographs are part of the collections in the University of Chicago, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Midwest Photographers Project of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Jason currently teaches photography at Illinois State University. Blueprint, Greenbelt, Maryland, 2009Daffodil House, Greendale, Wisconsin, 2009 New Deal Utopias New Deal Utopias examines Franklin Roosevelt’s idealistic vision to resettle displaced farmers and poor urban dwellers in model cities. These "Greenbelt Towns" — Greenbelt, Maryland, Greenhills, Ohio, and Greendale, Wisconsin — were testing grounds for a new American way of life as envisioned by the short-lived government agency, the Resettlement Administration. The towns were planned communities that embodied the hope that American citizens would meet the challenges of the Great Depression in a spirit of cooperation, not individualism. Based upon the principles of the “Garden City” movement of early 20th century England, the towns aimed to offer residents the social and economic advantages of living in community with each other but also enjoy open green spaces and fresh air of nature. Underpass, Greenbelt, Maryland, 2009Roosevelt Microfiche, Greenbelt, Maryland, 2009Mushroom, Greenbelt, Maryland, 2009Frieze, Greenbelt, Maryland, 2011 As the towns were constructed in the '30s, conservative members of Congress, industrial and corporate leaders, and newspapers hostile to New Deal policies critiqued them as “socialistic” and “communistic.” The Greenbelt towns were born out of the hard times of the Great Depression, yet the politics and divisions related to the towns still prevail. My photographs of the three Greenbelt Towns are an opportunity to engage with an overlooked expression of the New Deal as we continue grapple with the complexities of housing, nature, and government in contemporary American life. Gazebo, Greendale, Wisconsin, 2009Meeting Paths, Greenbelt, Maryland, 2010Parade, Greendale, Wisconsin, 2010Rockwell Covers, Greendale, Wisconsin, 2010Farragut Houses, Greenhills, Ohio, 2009Disney Garages, Greendale, Wisconsin, 2010Mural, Greenhills, Ohio, 2009 To view more of Jason's work please visit his website.