An exhibition of George Webber’s striking photos of the Little Bow Hutterite Colony is now on view at the Glenbow Museum, located in the heart of downtown Calgary. Titled “Hutterite Traditions: Photographs by George Webber,” the exhibit went on display February 14 and will remain open until April 13. It includes Hutterite items such as tools, garments, and furniture from the museum collections in addition to the photos. According to the Museum website, the materials in the exhibit “eloquently reflect the Hutterite values of spirituality, discipline and simplicity.”

When Webber, already a prominent Canadian photographer, heard that the Little Bow Colony was to be flooded as soon as a nearby dam was finished, he visited the Hutterites and asked permission to make a photographic record of their lives before they were forced to evacuate. He subsequently published the results of his many visits over a four-year period in a book titled A World Within: An Intimate Portrait of the Little Bow Hutterite Colony.

According to his write-up about the book on his publisher’s website, the Hutterites “welcomed him into their barns, gardens, kitchen, dining room, school, and—ultimately—their church. This mutual respect and affection is reflected in the remarkable photographs collected in A World Within.” The website reprints praise from various reviews of the 2005 book and its spare, black and white, photos. A few samples of his photos are provided on the website.