Chelsea Darter

Chelsea Darter (b. 1990) is a photographer currently based out of the Midwest. She earned a BFA from The University of Iowa in 2013. Her work focuses on the overlooked enigmas of the everyday. She’s fascinated with the subtle silent moments that seek an overarching narrative within the American landscape. Americana, humor, mythologies and nostalgia of place are recurring motifs throughout her images. Darter has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally and has been featured as an emerging photographer in Photographer’s Forum Magazine. Today we share her latest series, Route ’66.

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My most recent work is a visual exploration of Route ’66. Once a major path for western migration taken by families displaced by the dustbowl to a major post- WWII tourist route, the 2,500-mile stretch was a tangible symbol of the American Dream. Now only stretches of the historic road remain, and the many stops along the way have fallen into disrepair, only fondly remembered by an older generation. Following the photographic tradition of the American road-trip I set out to document what remains of the mythical “Mother Road” and the people that seek the nostalgia of the vestigial American Dream.

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To view more of Chelsea’s work, please visit her website.