Mary Farmilant is a Chicago-based artist whose ongoing work examines the progressive deterioration of abandoned institutional spaces and the human presence that remains.

Her images explore the idea that the human presence still remains a part of the history and narrative of these now uninhabited spaces. The jetsam left in the wake of the departing staff recall a past, when the space was integral to the lifeblood of the community. In these photographs, then is replaced by now.

Farmilant's images are an outgrowth of her background in nursing and her interest in addressing the issues we face today: the current crisis in healthcare, preservation of history versus building anew, the allocation of resources in the community, and the pressure on the middle class.