Exhibited at The ArtsCenter in 1995, Katchian's recent donation of color prints to the Archives Center of the Smithsonian Institution and her reception of a grant from the Orange County Arts Commission to create a related documentary has renewed interest in the photographs and their subjects, local farmers from the Carrboro Farmers' Market.
Living and working in New York City and Tokyo for a total of 31 years, Katchian admits that her urban background makes her an unlikely candidate for a project centering on agriculture.
"I was always a city girl. It was initially not a logical involvement," she said. "Here I plopped in rural North Carolina. I suppose it was logical to eventually become involved with the agriculture here."
But it was Chester (pictured at left) who planted the seeds for The Carrboro Farmers' Market Photography Project in Katchian's mind.
"It was Chester the farmer who really triggered the idea," she said. "I saw in my mind's eye how I wanted to document this farmer's life.
"He has a sense and an ability to tell stories unlike any other person I've ever met besides my mother. He is an acknowledged legend in our community."
A love for the man Katchian simply calls "Chester," the town of Carrboro and the agricultural culture of North Carolina served as the inspiration and the basis for the project through its completion.
"I was very grateful to have had a new beginning here in North Carolina, and I had an ability to convey visually that gratitude," she said. "This would be a project that could act as a gift from me back to the people of Carrboro."
But as with any artist whose work has been completed, Katchian struggled to find a suitable home for the prints.