For several years, Jim Mangan documented the unique residential architecture of the ‘Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ (FLDS) community along the Arizona–Utah border. During that time he met Jobee Cooke, an 18-year-old former member. Mangan’s 2014 visit to ‘Short Creek’ revealed a community dominated by paranoia. FLDS members maintained tight control. That began to change after the church’s leader, Mr Jeffs, was imprisoned. Young men who had been expelled were then able to return.

Cooke belonged to a tight-knit group of young men finding their way after leaving FLDS. He had little formal education but had mastered survival skills and horsemanship. He introduced Mangan to others in the group, modern-day cowboys who explored the rugged terrain of Utah, Arizona and Nevada on horseback. They used role-play both to express themselves and to cope. Their deep connection with nature contrasts with the trauma faced by their Indigenous Paiute neighbours, which these young men often overlooked.

Mangan was initially drawn to the unusual architecture. Houses with add-ons and mirrored windows symbolised distrust of outsiders. These features spoke of a past of isolation, while the residents’ growing autonomy showed their resilience. These young men occupy an in-between space in the American West, combining survival, identity and freedom. Through his photographs, Mangan hopes to connect their world with ours and to shed light on stories caught between hardship and independence.

Artist Bio:

Jim Mangan is an American photographer and filmmaker. He is renowned for his landscapes of the American West, blending ecological and sociological perspectives to explore connections with the earth and its diverse communities.

A 2023 Light Work Artist-in-Residence, Mangan spent five years creating his series ‘The Crick’. It was published in 2023 by Twin Palms Publishers and hailed as a ‘instant classic’ by Vince Aletti in Photograph Magazine.

Mangan’s photographs have been exhibited across the United States and internationally. He has upcoming solo shows at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, Utah State University and galleries in Kyoto and Los Angeles. His work is held in major museum collections.