Don Usner
Born in 1957 in Embudo, near Taos, New Mexico, Don spent his youth in Los Alamos and Chimayó. Growing up in these places fostered in him a love for the natural landscape and a deep appreciation of his cultural roots in the Río Grande valley--subjects that have remained a focus of his work throughout his life.
Don completed a undergraduate degree at the University of California in Santa Cruz and went on to manage an ecological reserve in Big Sur, California. There he and co-author Paul Henson completed The Natural History of Big Sur, which includes dozens of Don's photographs. Don returned to New Mexico in 1988 to complete a Master's degree in cultural geography and soon after completed his second book, Sabino's Map: Life in Chimayó's Old Plaza, also illustrated with his photographs.
Don't third book, route 66 On Tour: Legendary Architecture from Glenrio to Gallup, was followed closely b y his collection of folk tales told by his grandmother, Begnina's Chimayó, Cuentos from the Old Plaza. Along the way, he also published stories and accompanying photographs in El Palacio, New Mexico, Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and other national publications. Through the years, his work began to take on its distinctive style: clearly stated, evocative writing combined with striking black and-white portraits and color landscapes.
After Don moved to Santa Fe in 2003, he edited A History of Estaca, New Mexico: Plaza at an Ancient Crossroads, published by Vecinos del Río in 2003. He worked with Ambassador Frank Ortiz to write Ortiz's memoirs, Ambassador Ortiz: A Life of Service, published by UNM Press in 2004.
Recent photographic work has included an intensive photographic survey of the newly-created Valles National Preserve and ongoing documentation of the Lannan Foundation's Reading and Conversations series. Several writing and photography projects are in process and he recently launched an oral history project under the aegis of the Documentary Studies program at the College of Santa Fe.