1. photo essay · casey orr
ARDEN
sub-title?
Casey Orr
he people photographed here live in the extended community of Arden that welcomed Boff, myself and our
kids in 2010 –11.
What informs the portraits is the optimism, idealism, and simplicity
inherent in this ‘village’ and how these things sit within modern
America with its constant expansion, the individual ever moving
forward, and the rampant capitalism that has engulfed American
culture, nature and its communities.
I’m interested in this community out of time and out of place, and
yet still incredibly American. Many people here live within their
extended families, including my own. I live and work in Britain but
Arden is where my mother and sister live – so Arden feels like home,
with its hot wet air and its trees heavy with the song of the cicadas. A
home that, to the people who live there, is more than just a home.
These people aren’t by definition visionaries, idealists or Utopians –
these are ordinary people living, each in their different ways, in an
extraordinary place.
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The Arden Sharks
June
The Arden Sharks are Arden’s swim team. They compete locally throughout
the summer season. Most Arden children are members of the team and many
of the older Arden families have a few generations of Sharks swimmers. Before
the pool was built – 40 years ago – Ardenites swam in the creek.
June moved to Arden in 1953. Both of her children went to the Arden school
– she feels that the school’s progressive, open-minded curriculum was a great
start for them. June is a member of the Scholars Gild and the Dinner Gild as
well as being active with the Arden Library and Museum. She plays the
accordion, leads the annual Halloween parade, races annually in the Fourth of
July celebrations (over 70 category), goes to a movie every Thursday evening
and occasionally plays piano at the Buzz Coffee House. She feels, she says, as if
she has slowed down. June is 89 years old.

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Wally
Lily
Wally is the owner of the resale shop, Wally’s World, which deals in recycled
gold and anything else you might be looking for. Anything you need, just go
to Wally’s garage and he will probably have it! He can fix your car or rewire
your lamp – basically, he says, he can do anything. I asked him to describe
himself: “Charming and very sexy!”
Lily, 13, is an actress, singer and active member of ACRA, the Arden
Recreation and Community Association. ACRA – which runs solely on
donations – organizes an annual summer camp for Arden kids with crafts,
swimming, theatre and music as well as other events throughout the year. Lily
is a former member of the Arden Sharks but is too busy with her acting to be
part of the swim team this year.

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George
The Yoder family
George has been the caretaker at the Gild Hall for 20 years. He is active in the
Concert Gild and started the Arden Musicfest in 2003, an annual one-day
summer festival.
Twin brothers David and Bart sit on the porch of their family home with
Nakona, Ohana and Ryan. They rebuilt the house their father built in 1960
after it was destroyed in a fire, and the two families now live here and in a
smaller dwelling behind which was originally their father’s workshop.

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Serena and Mylie
The Hurlong Hannum family
Serena and Mylie live with their parents and older brother in a house by the
woods. Their parents (their father is German, their mother Hawaiian) moved
to Arden because its green spaces, houses and woods reminded them of a
European village. Their family is very involved in the Arden community; the
children are on the swim team and participate in the ACRA summer camp.
Julie is a seamstress and upholsterer. She is pictured here with her daughter Lila
and granddaughters Emily and Liana. Together they live in the house that
Julie’s father built. Julie and her husband Jeff, who himself is a fifth generation
Ardenite, both attended the Arden school until it was closed in 1973. They feel
that Arden is very different from the way it was when they were growing up,
and that the town has lost some of its sense of community – they’re putting
the house up for sale and moving to the beach.

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Skye Bird
Shane, Seth and Sidney
Skye Bird lives in Arden with her mother, father and grandmother. She loves
to play dress-up and play on the Arden playground.
Seth is a former regional swimming champion and his children can be found
most summer days at the Arden pool. His parents, originally from Holland,
moved to Arden in 1966. His children Sidney and Shane are both excellent
swimmers and are third generation Arden children.

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New Sweden
Mike
The band New Sweden, named after the original Scandinavian Delaware
settlers, are photographed here in the Arden library. The library is funded by
community donations and hosts readings for children.
Mike, an Arden trustee, is a third generation Ardenite. He went to the Arden
School and is an expert in Georgist theory, which he teaches in Arden and
other East Coast institutions. He heads the Georgist Gild, is a storyteller and is
often seen riding around the township on his bicycle. He’s the man you go to
if you need to know anything about Arden.

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Mary
Edmund
Mary is an artist. When not painting, sculpting, sewing and making jewellery,
she’s walking in the woods and along the train tracks. She has five grown
children and has lived in Arden for six years.
Edmund, Arden baker and chef and member of the Dinner Gild, grew up in
Arden. He’s photographed here in the kitchen with his Shakespeare cookies,
prepared especially for the annual Shakespeare production at Arden’s open-air
theatre. The Shakespeare Gild has been performing for over 100 years in
Arden.

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Phil
Victoria and Makalya
Phil is a welder and an artist. His metal sculptures greet passersby from the
edges of the main road through the village. He also makes memorials for
Arden pets when they die – he’s made 78 so far. He lives with his daughter and
baby granddaughter.
Victoria and baby Makalya live with Makalya's brother Christopher and
father, Chris. Makalya is a sixth generation Arden baby. They live in the house
that their great-grandfather built.