A summer fellowship project inspired by the famous road trip photographers and artist that bloomed Post World War II.

In June of 2019, I embarked on a two week road trip from LA to Houston, TX, following the footsteps of many artists before me that had a similar thesis: to document way in which the road trip, in all its spontaneity, can shape art the same way it has shaped America. I was inspired by several factors, but mostly my obsession with the history of road trip photography starting last Christmas when I got a book called The Open Road. Immediately, I became invested in the historical significance of road trip based artwork, especially having been enrolled in US History and US Literature. I saw that the essential themes of road-tripping (joyrides, discovery, migration) were essential to American identity and evoked beautifully in every artists’ work. The US began with a long migration across the sea, an expansive nation built on industry. After Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway Act of 1956, Robert Frank set out on his project The Americans. Then followed Ed Ruscha with Twentysix Gasoline Stations, Stephen Shore’s Uncommon Places, and many others. I was also motivated by my family’s connection to Texas, my life growing up on the coast, and the growing divisiveness in our country hidden in terms like “flyover country”. I sought to investigate the connection of our country through physical means.

The result of all this research is a photography series, a sketchbook, two mixed media collages, and a large painting. In the large painting, I took imagery from past photographers to highlight the pull of the horizon, and the endless expanse ingrained into American identity. The gulf sign references an old sign passed through my family for generations, now rusting in my relative’s home in Marfa, TX. The poppies appear several times throughout the series, highlighting my personal connection to California, and (after last year’s superbloom) the potentially commercial aspects of nature on modern cross-country trips. I am endlessly grateful to the Kutler Center and the HW GO Junior Summer Fellowship program for this amazing opportunity to dive into research and art making outside the classroom.