This issue was originally sent to Boundless subscribers on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10, 2026, which is why the below message references the holiday.
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Previous issue: there will be signs.
Today's issue is forty-four images of some of the people building the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. No story arc. No commentary. Just the workers.
For three years they've let me onto their site, around their equipment, and into their workdays. They kept building while I kept photographing. I am deeply honored that I had the opportunity to witness what so many people never see. And as the archive grows, it will show who actually built this place. Their kids will see it. Their grandkids will see it. That's the whole point.
It's Mother's Day. To everyone I've worked alongside these past three years: Your mother would be proud. Thanks for letting me document your dedication and skill. I'll never forget this project.
Chad Z.
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P.S. If you're scrolling and don't see yourself, it's not because your work wasn't worth photographing. I've made images of hundreds of you over three years and wish I could include every frame, but forty-four was already a stretch for a browser. The archive holds the rest. Your contribution is in there.
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If you appreciate this level of landmark project documentation, or if you're drawn to what vast landscapes teach us about peace, resilience, perspective, and renewal, Boundless might be for you.
New issues arrive every Sunday through the library's opening day, July 4, 2026.
Boundless is the weekly newsletter of photographer Chad Ziemendorf.
Each issue explores what vast landscapes and landmark human endeavors teach us about peace, resilience, perspective, and renewal.
All content and images © Chad Ziemendorf. All rights reserved.
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