Project U.S. 17

On Exhibit at the Cherrydale Branch Library, May 1 – August 1 2016

Catherine Powers’s Artist Statement:

Project U.S.17 is a collection of photographs taken during my travels along U.S. 17, the north-south highway spanning the southeastern United States close to the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. 17 begins in Winchester, Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and ends in Punta Gorda, Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico, passing through five states. I’m attracted to the diversities, as well as the similarities, of the people and the scenery along this southern landscape.

My photography captures the character of the people, the culture and the beauty of the land along this 1,100 mile byway –the marsh-lined rivers, pristine white beaches, quaint fishing villages, small farms, proud military heritage, large cities, and historic communities. Some of the places can evoke feelings of a bygone era, leaving a feeling that the community has not changed since the Civil War. Other places along U.S. 17 are modern, bustling and robust. The people living there are as interesting and beautiful as the landscape. They are outgoing, friendly, hard working Americans – fisherman, farmers, small business owners, retirees, soldiers, mothers and families.

Through my own artwork, I have developed a strong eye for composition, color and light. My photographs tell a story of the land, of the people and of a culture, documenting treasures from our past, which hold stories waiting to be told.

 

Want to buy something you see on our walls? Artists contribute 20% of sales made during their exhibit to the Friends of the Arlington County Public Library, to help support Library programming.