Going Away from Here

— Limited Edition Fine Artist Book—

For more information about this project visit www.goingawayfromhere.com

Going Away from Here is a limited-edition fine artist book documenting life on Tangier Island, located off the coast of Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay. Predicted to become America’s first climate-change refugees, Tangier’s story tragically mirrors the challenges many low-lying communities worldwide will face over the 80 years. Through images of the island and the voices of Tangier’s residents, the work addresses the urgent concerns of land loss, cultural erosion, and environmental displacement.

Crafted as a Dos-à-Dos structure, the book includes 30 hand-tipped archival pigment prints (15 black-and-white and 15 color), overlaid with Thai Unryu paper, and accompanied by two free-standing prints in a custom foil-stamped envelope. Letterpress printed on a Vandercook Universal III press, it also features a foreword by noted scholar Liz Wells.

The edition is limited to only 15 copies and has been acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, as well as the special collections of several R1 universities, including William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University, Baylor University, University of Virginia, and the University of North Texas.

Dos-à-Dos book contains 30 images printed on Canson Edition Etching Rag, plus 2 additional free-standing prints on Somerset Velvet encased in a custom die-cut envelope with foil-stamp.

The Clamshell

Open clamshell with book and prints inside custom die-cut envelope

15-Black & White prints tipped-in with quotes from the islanders

15-Color prints tipped-in with quotes from the islanders

Clamshell and Dos-à-Dos structure

All photographs are captured and printed by H. Jennings Sheffield from 2017–2022. The hand-made paper was commissioned from Twinrocker Handmade Paper in Brookston, Indiana. The laser cutting for the clamshell was done by FreeFall Laser in North Adams, Massachusetts, and the typography, presswork, and edition were commissioned and bound by Black Hare Studio.