WOMEN OF CRESTED BUTTE
Women of Crested Butte celebrates 100 remarkable women who have profoundly shaped the culture, community, and lands of this extraordinary mountain town, high in Colorado's West Elk Mountains—some for more than half a century. Photographed on location through summer 2028, the project will culminate in a hardcover art book featuring portraits and interviews with all 100 women. The project explores at its heart the power of women and community. You can explore the Behind-the-Scenes Gallery here, which includes imagery from the nearly 60 shoots completed so far.
In Loving Memory of Trudy Yaklich, August 24, 1944 - August 12, 2024. Trudy appears here in front of her family’s old dairy barn overlooking Elk Avenue, where she spent many happy times as a child, as well as later in life.
I began in 2020 by asking women leaders in the community a simple question: Which women have shown up the most for our town over the years? After hearing hundreds of stories and nominations, my long list was narrowed down to 100 women whose lives, work, leadership, creativity, stewardship, and service have helped shape Crested Butte into the place that so many of us hold dear. Each participant is invited to imagine how she would like to be remembered 100 years from now. Together, we then create that Legacy Image at the location of her choice.
Women of Crested Butte is a collaboration with longtime locals Shannon Mujica and KT Joy Folz. KT planted the original seed for the project and serves as a co-producer. Shannon had already been collecting stories from influential women throughout the valley, and we soon realized we were working on different facets of the same vision—she through words and me through photography. Together, we are telling the stories of the same 100 women.
Crested Butte has given me a tremendous amount over the years. This project is my way of giving something back and saying thank you to a community that supported me deeply, particularly during my years here as a solo parent raising a young son in the mid-2000’s.
I also believe it is time that we start taking direction from strong feminine voices, both in this valley and beyond. History has recognized men almost exclusively and done its best to exclude women. Our centuries-long embodiment of an aggressive masculine version of progress that takes the forms of imperialism, colonialism and industrialization has done an excellent job of delivering our world to the brink of environmental collapse. It's time for something different, something sane and life-affirming. Something distinctly feminine. This project is a small act of recognition—an opportunity to honor and immortalize some of the remarkable women who have helped shape this valley, and whose influence will continue to ripple forward for generations.
Working on Women of Crested Butte is a great gift and a privilege. I am deeply grateful to this community and to these extraordinary women for trusting me with their stories.
— Merrick Chase
THBP Founder & Photographer