Vanish - Disappearing Icons of a Rural America

2024. Jim Westphalen. 77 minutes. Not rated.

Q&A with filmmaker and Vermont fine-art photographer Jim Westphalen to follow the screening.

We are pleased to announce a special screening of the film Vanish – Disappearing Icons of a Rural America to celebrate the opening weekend of Billings Farm & Museum’s 43rd season. The filmmaker and Vermont fine-art photographer, Jim Westphalen, will join us for a Q&A following the film and will have several of his featured photographs on display. 

A remarkable story of past and present, this film follows Westphalen as he captures the beauty of America’s disappearing rural structures. From weathered Vermont barns and one-room schoolhouses to the grain elevators of Montana, Westphalen races against time and the elements to document these fading icons.

With a sense of urgency, Vanish features compelling interviews with experts and passionate individuals who fight to save these structures. Written, directed, and produced by Westphalen, with Academy Award-winning story consultant Doug Blush, the film is both a breathtaking tribute and a call to action, urging us to stop, take notice, and care for these pieces of our shared history before they disappear forever. 

This special screening takes place in the Billings Farm & Museum Visitor Center Theater.