Barrington Hall
America Series on view
May 2026 — September 2026
America Series
On a transcontinental photographic survey of the United States to create a visual record of the current face of America, as earlier photographers did in decades past — Walker Evans in the 1930s, Robert Frank in the 1950s, and Richard Avedon in the 1980s.
Heading west, I connected to the historic Route 66 in Chicago on the way to Los Angeles, a journey that speaks to America’s historic migration — a road of hopes, dreams, and opportunities. I charged myself across the continent, randomly selecting subjects along the way, using the electric vehicle as a mobile portrait studio at charging stops, gas stations, and hotels. I encountered and photographed people from all walks of life. I came to realize there are no strangers, only people with stories and beliefs that are different from mine.
Against a backdrop of a uniform man-made urban landscape, with the repetition of strip malls, endless parking lots, fast food chains, and billboards urging people to consume more, I saw the economic difference between Americans who have and Americans who have not. As urgent as sustainability is on a global basis, since a large part of the population is in survival mode and barely making ends meet in terms of food, shelter, and health care, sometimes sustainability discussions seem like a luxury.
Journeying west, I also encountered openness, trust, and generosity, and listened to people speak about the importance of family and community, who hoped to make the world a better place through personal initiative and civil courage. In media and politics, the chorus is about “the great divide,” but this experience points to how each meeting reveals how, beyond the obvious differences, in the end, there is more that connects us than divides us.
