Author John Steinbeck, in his 1962 book Travels with Charley: In Search of America, said Americans were defined by “a burning desire to go, to move, to get under way, anyplace, away from any here … nearly every American hungers to move.” Wanderlust: Travel and American Photography examines the role American highways and interstates have played in the migratory desires of the American people. The new exhibition opens at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Friday, June 5, with a special public opening reception at 7 p.m.
The opening reception is preceded by a guest lecture at 6 p.m. by Eugene B. Adkins Curator Mark White. Both are free and open to museum association members and the public. The exhibition runs through Sept. 19.
“Since the early 20th century, travel has been an important part of the American experience, especially the sightseeing trips synonymous with summer vacations,” said White. “The photographs in this exhibition explore on various levels the links between travel and American identity.”