Untitled 0202 (from American Pile series)
Northampton, MA
Archival inkjet print
10” x 16”
2018
By Allison Cekala
Artist Statement re: American Pile project
American Pile is an ongoing photographic project documenting piles of material—gravel, salt, mulch, scrap—found across the American landscape. These humble, often overlooked forms become inadvertent sculptures: human-made mountain scapes that reflect systems of labor, industry, and transformation.
Each pile tells a story of displacement—materials moved, stored, and reshaped by human hands. Through repetition and typology, the project reveals how we inscribe meaning onto the land as we alter the surface of the earth. Together, these photographs unearth the hidden narratives embedded within our everyday surroundings.
Follow the project on Instagram: @americanpile
Allison Cekala is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, beekeeper, and community organizer based in Warren, Maine. She holds an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and a BA from Bard College in Photography and Environmental Studies.
Untitled 0202 (from American Pile series)
Northampton, MA
Archival inkjet print
10” x 16”
2018
By Allison Cekala
Artist Statement re: American Pile project
American Pile is an ongoing photographic project documenting piles of material—gravel, salt, mulch, scrap—found across the American landscape. These humble, often overlooked forms become inadvertent sculptures: human-made mountain scapes that reflect systems of labor, industry, and transformation.
Each pile tells a story of displacement—materials moved, stored, and reshaped by human hands. Through repetition and typology, the project reveals how we inscribe meaning onto the land as we alter the surface of the earth. Together, these photographs unearth the hidden narratives embedded within our everyday surroundings.
Follow the project on Instagram: @americanpile
Allison Cekala is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, beekeeper, and community organizer based in Warren, Maine. She holds an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and a BA from Bard College in Photography and Environmental Studies.
