About Us: The American Imaginary spotlights three notions of “American.” Curated by Terra Foundation Fellows Christina Chan, Annette Parkins, and Carlos David Trujillo, the exhibition brings together photographs from the Queens Museum collection that explore family lore, nostalgia, migration, visibility, conflict, roots, and identity. Spanning the mid-nineteenth century to 1979, the works include predominantly albumen and vintage silver gelatin prints by photographers born both within and beyond the United States. Through diverse perspectives, the exhibition questions what is “American” about American art and demonstrates how American identity is continually redefined through culture, movement, and lived experience.
[Massive deck girder leaving U.S. Steel's Gary, Indiana plant], c. 1940s. Vintage silver gelatin print. Gift of Charles Schwartz, 2006