Starr County, Texas, is a place of wind farms and cattle ranches, close-knit families, and Border Patrol boats moving along the Rio Grande. Beneath those daily rhythms lies another story: one of the highest known rates of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in the United States.
Nearly one in four residents over 65 is reported to live with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia, compared with roughly one in fourteen nationwide. Many more cases likely go undiagnosed. In a county shaped by poverty and limited access to health care, the disease—still burdened by stigma—often takes hold out of sight, and most families care for their own.
But this project is not only about what slips away. It is also about what remains: the tenderness of those who bear witness, the repeated acts of care, the flashes of humor and grace that survive the slow unmaking of memory. A dance as night falls. A laugh returned. A hand held a moment longer.
Made over several years in and around Starr County, these images trace not only the weight of dementia, but the dignity, endurance, and fleeting beauty that persist within it.
Artist Bios
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Cheney Orr
Cheney Orr is a photographer and journalist whose work spans breaking news and long-term documentary projects centered on memory and community. His first photo essay, published by The New York Times in 2018, documented his father’s experience with early-onset Alzheimer’s and helped define the questions that continue to shape his work.
He has since been commissioned to document natural disasters, the aftermath of mass violence, flashpoints along the U.S.–Mexico border, civil unrest, and political campaigns. His work has received numerous grants and awards, including a 2021 Pulitzer Prize nomination, and is held in the collections of major institutions, including MoMA and the Met.
Organizations
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Magnum Foundation
Magnum Foundation expands creativity and diversity in visual storytelling, activating new audiences and ideas through the innovative use of images. Through grants, mentorship, and creative collaborations, we partner with socially engaged imagemakers exploring new models for storytelling. Since our founding in 2007 by members of the Magnum Photos cooperative, we have made more than 600 direct grants to visual storytellers from over 80 countries. To find out about upcoming exhibitions and events, learn about grant opportunities, or join our community of support, please visit magnumfoundation.org
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The Commonwealth Fund
Tracing Memory
Featuring: Cheney Orr
Locations
View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
Photography and reporting by Cheney Orr. Writing and reporting by Masha Hamilton. Funding and support from the Magnum Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund.
