Photographed predominantly in the poor rural town of Vidor, Texas, Rough Beauty explores the character and burden of a close-knit community branded by its past. Vidor is reviled for its history of Ku Klux Klan activities, but behind the stereotype is a town of bootstrappers struggling to get by against a background of crushing poverty almost reminiscent of the Depression. Prior to becoming a professional photographer Dave Anderson worked for Bill Clinton at the White House, and then as a producer for MTV. Rough Beauty won the 2005 Santa Fe Center for Photography Project Competition and Anderson has been singled out as a rising star by the prestigious US photo magazine Photo District News.