“Ted Degener is an intrepid road warrior, a habitué of discount motels and meat-and-three diners, and the kind of traveler who never confuses movement with speed. He has more road time than anyone I know, but what matters is how he arrives: eyes open, attention tuned. Somewhere between interstate exits and two-lane detours, in neglected city neighborhoods and the long pauses of rural America, he finds the handmade sign: brushed letters on plywood, paint sinking into grain, acrobats painted on glass, a giant concrete woman in a bikini. He notices what most drivers register as peripheral blur. When something catches, he slows down, turns around if he has to, and pulls off, as if the picture were a small appointment he’d nearly missed.”
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“Degener preserves more than a disappearing graphic vernacular. He preserves a way of speaking in public that is handmade and bespoke—lettered, brushed, imperfect, and proud. And he reminds us, quietly and insistently, that America still contains pockets of irregular life, if you’re willing to slow down, take the exit, and look.”—Mark Sloan, former (now retired) director and chief curator of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston.
I don’t usually begin my own blog posts with the prose of others, but this time I decided that I could not improve upon the description by Mark Sloan of photographer Ted Degener and his newest book, American Celebration 2: Storefronts and Hand-Made Signs, (What a treat to have such a gorgeous piece of writing alongside Ted’s always amazing photographs.) Ted states he has been seeking out and photographing the art found in hand-made signs and storefronts throughout the United States “since the eighties.” If you can’t get on the road yourself, Ted Degener and his camera are guaranteed to take you places you’ve never been.
Ted will be presenting and signing his new book (and another recent book, American Celebration previously seen here) at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH on Friday, May 8 at 5:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, click here.
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On a different note: The Friends of the Rochester Public Library have announced their second annual SPRING FLING FUNDRAISER to be held on Saturday, May 16th, 4 – 6 pm, at the library in Rochester, Vermont. This fundraiser will include a presentation by Sara Tucker, Korongo Books of Randolph, Vermont, and feature their newest publication, Jack Rowell: Photographs, a 12-by-14-inch hardcover volume of portraits that showcases the life's work of Vermont photographer Jack Rowell. (Seen here on Artful) In her presentation “Being Seen,” editor and publisher Sara Tucker tells the story behind the book and reflects on the significance of Jack’s work in today’s world. Her short talk will include a discussion with the photographer.
Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone will be also be there reading from her work, and complimentary refreshments will include SOUP, inspired by Major Jackson’s forthcoming book of poetry and recipes entitled, “A Bowl of Goodness . . . Nourishing Poems with a Side of Soup”. The book will be released by Vermont publisher, Storey Books, in October, and “event attendees will get a pre-publication taste of goodness.”
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, Next Avenue, Image Magazine, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.