Tom Arndt is one of Minnesota’s great photographers emeritus (even allowing for the fact that John Szarkowski began his career in Minnesota and published his own superb photobook about the state, The Face of Minnesota.) Tom still hosts an occasional salon in Minneapolis, commenting on prints displayed by local photographers, and his informal comments always probe deep into what photography is. His book, Home:Tom Arndt’s Minnesota, marries rural and urban Minnesota in the 1970’s through documentary portraits and street photographs.

Garrison Keillor, longtime friend of Arndt, describes the people pictured as “… the crucial DNA of our culture… The heart and soul of American culture is all about outsiders and poor people… culture is what exists on street corners and in cafes, in how people treat each other and how they make small talk.”

The appendix includes a selection of photos with Tom’s personal reflections, like this one about the photo “Man outside Mickey’s Diner, St. Paul, 1970.”

“This is another touching moment for me. I remember seeing this man, and I asked if I could make his portrait; he wondered why, and I probably said something about respecting his strength of character. He took off his hat, which was so telling. I will never forget him.”

Thanks to Tom Arndt, neither will we.