Mark Klett photographs the intersection of cultures, landscapes, and time. He worked as a geologist before turning to photography. Klett has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Buhl Foundation, and the Japan/US Friendship Commission. His work has been exhibited and published both nationally and internationally for over 25 years. Klett’s work is held in over eighty museum collections worldwide. He is the author of thirteen books including Saguaros (Radius Press and DAP, 2007), After the Ruins (University of California Press, 2006), Yosemite in Time (Trinity University Press, 2005), and Third Views, Second Sights (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2004). Klett is a Regents’ Professor of Art at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

Artist Statement: This is a composite of four photographs made of the Desert Ironwood tree at the Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson. The views connect the fruit of the tree on the left to a small dove sitting in its branches on the right. The tree is a survivor of the harsh desert climate and human development in the area. It still provides shade from the sun and is a haven for wildlife. This image was commissioned by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film for “Heroes of Horticulture,” an exhibition of original photography produced as part of the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s 2007 Landslide initiative of the same title.