Quirky, Beautiful, Ordinary: American Roadsides from the FAM Collection


February 12, 2022-May 29, 2022

2017.67 – Walker Evans (US American, 1903-1975), Joe’s Auto Graveyard, Pennsylvania, 1936, gelatin silver print. Gift of Dr. J. Patrick and Patricia Kennedy, 2017.67

In recognition of American Roadsides: Frank Armstrong’s Photographic Legacy, this group of photographs from FAM’s collection celebrates the ordinary, the quirky, and the beautiful within the American cultural landscape. Inspired by the tradition of cross-country road trips in American photography, the photographers featured in this exhibition showcase the very ordinary things that inhabit our surroundings. By focusing on advertisements, mass production, and communal experiences, these images show how American culture has evolved as consumer taste, technology, and values have changed over time. They capture the joy, strangeness, isolation, and community of American society.

(Top Right) Barrett – Rachel Barrett (US American, b. 1981) Lexington Avenue & 53rd Street, NE Corner, 2008, chromogenic print. Gift of Dr. Anthony Terrana, 2019.174.1 
(Lower Right) Kayafas – Peter Kayafas (US American, b. 1971), Glasgow, Montana, 2015, gelatin silver print. Gift of Martin and Wendy Tarlow Kaplan, 2021.125

Siber – Matt Siber (US American, b. 1972), McDonalds from Floating Logos, 2003, chromogenic print. Gift of Dr. Anthony Terrana, 2018.81.7

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