Within the Bittersweet

The photographs in my series Within the Bittersweet draw on the depths of familial connection found in motherhood. They also consider the impossible task of sheltering one’s children from environmental threats, including the entwined issues of toxic chemical pollution and climate change. I’ve made the images as I raise my daughters in and around our West Alabama home. This region has magnificent natural beauty and serene communities filled with lush gardens. Like many places, it is also interlaced with sites that emit industrial pollution. These sites are often hidden from public view but have a particularly acute impact on developing children for whom the short and long-term consequences of environmental contamination will be most felt. The series seeks to communicate my experiences during the brief, bittersweet period of parenthood spent with young children—and also to consider the splendor of a life lived on a planet teetering toward crisis.

© Allison Grant - Holding Isa
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Holding Isa

© Allison Grant - Petroleum Coke Near the School
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Petroleum Coke Near the School

© Allison Grant - In the Vines
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In the Vines

© Allison Grant - Bricked In
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Bricked In

© Allison Grant - Isa on the Banks of the Black Warrior River
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Isa on the Banks of the Black Warrior River

© Allison Grant - Nap Pillow
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Nap Pillow

© Allison Grant - Shelter Shadow
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Shelter Shadow

© Allison Grant - Commuting Home Past Nucor Steel and the Black Warrior River
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Commuting Home Past Nucor Steel and the Black Warrior River

© Allison Grant - After School
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After School

© Allison Grant - Running Into the Woods
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Running Into the Woods

© Allison Grant - Garden Flowers
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Garden Flowers

© Allison Grant - A Chemical Fire Burns, 800 Feet Downwind From My Children's School
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A Chemical Fire Burns, 800 Feet Downwind From My Children's School

© Allison Grant - At Home With Baby
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At Home With Baby

© Allison Grant - Night Tree
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Night Tree

© Allison Grant - Holding Lorelei
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Holding Lorelei

© Allison Grant - Late Season Blooms
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Late Season Blooms

© Allison Grant - Braid
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Braid

© Allison Grant - Warrior Met Coal
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Warrior Met Coal

© Allison Grant - Shelter Shadow
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Shelter Shadow

© Allison Grant - Alone on the Path
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Alone on the Path

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