The Open Road:

Endless Horizons

Jurors: Susan Hacker Stang, Shellee Graham, and Jim Ross

Inspired by the Mother Road.
Interpreted worldwide.

Photo Credit: Route 66 The Road That Takes You © David Schwartz

GRAND PRIZE

Dairy King, Dusk
Ian Bowen
Pasadena, CA

Artist’s Statement

I wasn't there for Route 66's heyday, but the mixture of reflection and connection central to 66 has a strong appeal even for a child of the Interstate era. Off the freeways the road keeps the traveler present as it curves and jumps with the land. It leads right to the center of town, where some storefronts may be closed up but people actually talk to you. The corner diner serves up local flavor made with care. Outside town the stars are visible at night. Even in the city, the old highways follow the main boulevards, lined with neon glowing and music pouring into the street when the door swings open. Thanks to the Interstates and the internet we're more connected than ever before, but many of us feel more isolated than ever. For me and many others, 66 allows us to reconnect with the country and with ourselves.

FIRST PLACE

At the Blue Swallow Motel
Lisa Wissner-Slivka
Clyde Hill, WA

Artist’s Statement

For my husband's 66th Birthday adventure, he decided that we were going to drive the entirety of Route 66. Not being a road trip kind of gal, I was a wee bit nervous about spending that much time in the car. The trip turned out to be full of unexpected delights and joy almost every day, ranging from classic dinners and kitschy stops to moments of reflection and awe. I wasn't expecting the history lessons at Lincoln's Presidential Museum and Library in Springfield, IL and the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, OK. I got to walk the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge between Illinois and Missouri and stand in the center of the Mississippi River. I was blown away by the geology, from the Painted Desert to Meteor Crater and the Grand Canyon. Mostly I was touched by the kindness of the people that we met along the way.

SECOND PLACE

Sitgreaves Pass by Starlight
Ian Bowen
Pasadena, CA

Artist’s Statement

I wasn't there for Route 66's heyday, but the mixture of reflection and connection central to 66 has a strong appeal even for a child of the Interstate era. Off the freeways the road keeps the traveler present as it curves and jumps with the land. It leads right to the center of town, where some storefronts may be closed up but people actually talk to you. The corner diner serves up local flavor made with care. Outside town the stars are visible at night. Even in the city, the old highways follow the main boulevards, lined with neon glowing and music pouring into the street when the door swings open. Thanks to the Interstates and the internet we're more connected than ever before, but many of us feel more isolated than ever. For me and many others, 66 allows us to reconnect with the country and with ourselves.

THIRD PLACE

Rome, Oregon
Kevin Clark
Philomath, OR

Artist’s Statement

I enjoy traveling my home state looking for great images.

HONORABLE MENTION

Chain of Rocks Bridge in Fog 1
Frederick Emch
Maryland Heights, MO

Artist’s Statement

Many years ago, photography went from something I liked to something I could not live without. My passion is fully immersing myself in a scene or project and capturing something surprising or finding the different or the dramatic. Wherever my creative journey takes me, my goal is to continue growing as an artist and to always keep learning.

HONORABLE MENTION

Evening on Route 66
Sally Harris
Greenwich, CT

Artist’s Statement

My passion for photography evolved from the love of traveling, discovering different lifestyles, and meeting new people. I try to creatively capture the soul of places and their everyday life through my camera lens. Photography became a shared passion for my late husband Mike and me; we both spent years enjoying photography and travel together. Our playful competitive nature pushed us to observe keenly and frame as uniquely as we could. Route 66 was a highlight of our travels. We strived to embrace the spirit of the Mother Road by staying at motels, eating at diners and taking our time.

HONORABLE MENTION

Against The Wind
Quinn Johnston
Saratoga, WY

Artist’s Statement

This is a strange thing, this. Growing up in the Midwest it was considered impolite to talk about oneself. Rude even. You just did what you do and tried your best to do it well. That said, I have been fortunate enough to travel this country far and wide and first picked up a camera on the road as a band manager in my formative years. Fell right in love with it. But the band broke up as bands do and I lost touch with it for a little while. Long story a little less long, I now hang my hat in Wyoming. It's a land of incomparable beauty that people travel from all over the world to explore. But with that there's a lot that gets overlooked (much like the farm towns in the "flyover states" I ran around in as a kid). Rough. Desolate. Unforgiving. All the places, people and things between where you're going and where you've been. Out here you're sixty minutes from anywhere and sixty seconds from nowhere. But I do know if you drive far enough down most any road, you're gonna find something.

HONORABLE MENTION

Open Road Panorama
Louis Vest
Galveston, TX

Artist’s Statement

I am in my eighth decade on earth and am overcome with a desire to record a world that is disappearing. I want people to look at my work 500 years from now and know what is was like to live in a world of open landscapes and huge skies. I could make a philosophical statement about road trips and the urge to go on them, but anyone reading this and looking at the work submitted will know the philosophy of a road trip in their heart.

Exhibiting Artists

Click on Images to View Slideshow

Jurors:

Susan Hacker Stang
American photographer, author, and educator, Susan Hacker Stang spent over four decades as a professor of communications at Webster University in St. Louis. Her work is held in more than 25 major museums and libraries worldwide and has been widely published in books and magazines.

Shellee Graham
Photographer, artist, and Route 66 ambassador, Shellee Graham is the author or coauthor of five books, including Tales from the Coral Court and Route 66 Sightings. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and she is a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award for her preservation efforts.

Jim Ross
Route 66 historian Jim Ross has spent 35 years researching, photographing and writing about the Mother Road. His published books include Route 66 Crossings and Route 66 Sightings, and he is coauthor (with wife Shellee Graham) of Route 66: The First 100 Years. He serves regularly as a consultant, and his efforts as a preservationist have earned him multiple awards.

Special Thanks to Our Jurors Susan Hacker Stang, Shellee Graham and Jim Ross, and to Rob Grimm.