The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip

press release: This January, visitors to the Milwaukee Art Museum have the opportunity to explore art related to a quintessential American experience—the road trip. The Open Road:Photography and the American Road Trip presents photography of America along its highways and byways, capturing the changing landscape—both figurative and literal—shaped by car culture and the burgeoning tradition of the American road trip.

“We’re excited to bring the work of these eighteen photographers to the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts,” commented Ariel Pate, assistant curator of photography. “Some will be familiar to our audiences, and some will be new discoveries, but what ties them together is that the car and the American road trip changed the way they took photographs.”

Showcasing the work of these photographers that were inspired by the American Dream to hit the road and reveal something deeper about the country they cruised through, The Open Road will be on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum from January 26 to April 22, 2018 in the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts.

While the myth of the American frontier, with its promise of freedom and possibility, had long engaged artists, more photographers purposefully embraced road trips during the post–World War II era as a means to better understand the nation. The images in The Open Road provide offbeat and personal reflections of the photographer’s journeys, including the people they encounter, car culture and roadside attractions.

The Open Road features over 100 photographs taken from the 1950s to today. Presented in chronological order, the exhibition starts with photographs from Robert Frank’s book The Americans (1959), black-and-white photographs that scandalized the public with their unflinching portrayal of the reality behind the American Dream. The idiosyncrasies of American life are captured in color photographs by pioneers of the medium, including William Eggleston, Stephen Shore and Joel Sternfeld.

Also represented are contemporary photographers such as Alec Soth, whose series Sleeping by the Mississippi is a sensitive exploration of Middle America at the turn of the twenty-first century. Works by the Swiss artistic duo Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs are more playful, depicting surreal scenes the artists staged of motel rooms and endless roads.

The Open Road will give Museum visitors the opportunity to explore how taking a “great American road trip” revealed and changed these photographers’ perceptions and understanding of a nation. This exhibition is part of the Museum’s season of travel: a collection of works across media and eras that speak to the ideas of journeys, fresh perspectives and an international exchange of ideas.