americana in louisville, kentucky

I love finding bits of Americana in my travels. Americana includes artifacts related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of my home country of the U.S.A. It is any collection of materials and things characteristic of the United States or of the American people, and is representative of American culture as a whole.

When I visited the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky this past spring, I found a quirky and nostalgic exhibit of photographs by Linda Bruckheimer, an American novelist, photographer, film producer and preservationist.  Raised in Kentucky, her family moved to California when she was a teenager, a trip that, among other things, inspired her love of photography.

In her artist’s statement at the museum she said that “everyone can be divided into two tribes – people who love road trips and those who don’t.”  She grew up with parents from the former tribe, and they would jump in the car with the whole family with no destination in mind. She got “hooked on the great unknown, fascinated by the notion that something exciting was waiting around the next bend.”

Her exhibit, “Road Map to Heaven,” was “an ode to that magical first trip {from Kentucky to California} and subsequent trips of the past decades.”  Her photographs made for “some atypical, quirky images that reflect the essence and personality of a changing America.”  Her exhibit was dedicated to “the memory of [her] high-spirited parents…”

I apologize for the reflections of the glass on the photographs.  It is always challenging to take photos of art behind glass.

At the Frazier, I also found other bits of Americana.

Besides these, there was also an exhibit by watercolorist Harland Hubbard (1900-1988), born in Bellevue, KY. His paintings show slices of life along the Ohio River in the early-to-mid-20th century. He married Anna Eikenhout, art librarian at the Cincinnati Art Academy, in 1943, and they started building a shantyboat the following year.  The shantyboat departed on its voyage on the Ohio River at the end of 1946 and continued until 1951.  In 1952, the Hubbards moved to Payne Hollow, KY, for a life without modern conveniences.  Hubbard’s best known book, Shantyboat: A River Way of Life, was published in 1953.

When asked why the Hubbards chose this path, Harland Hubbard said he liked this kind of life: “We like independence.  We like to feel self-sufficient.  Also my chief business is painting.  I like landscape.  We’re living where there are things I like to paint.”

*Friday, March 1, 2019*

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“PHOTOGRAPHY” INVITATION:  I invite you to create a photography intention and then create a blog post for a place you have visited. Alternately, you can post a thematic post about a place, photos of whatever you discovered that set your heart afire. You can also do a thematic post of something you have found throughout all your travels: churches, doors, people reading, people hiking, mountains, patterns, all black & white, whatever!

In my case, my intention was to look for thematic possibilities during my trip to Kentucky and I was thrilled to find this photography exhibit that captures the quintessential American road trip.

You probably have your own ideas about this, but in case you’d like some ideas, you can visit my page: photography inspiration.

I challenge you to post no more than 20-25 photos (I have more here!) and to write less than 1,500 words about any travel-related photography intention you set for yourself. Include the link in the comments below by Wednesday, October 30 at 1:00 p.m. EST.  When I write my post in response to this challenge on Thursday, October 31, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, every first, second, and third (& 5th, if there is one) Thursday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!