1. S FLE

2. Who
are
wE?
How do we think of ourselves?
How do we dress, walk, talk?
Detroit, Hartford, Minneapolis, New Orleans,
Santa Barbara. As a country we face challenges.
We draw from our past. We are challenged by the new.
We must reinvent ourselves to face the future.
Cover: Katie Ezell, Student

3. Mr. Raymond Hopkins (Hoppie)
Retired and Proud

4. Will Devonta Kisses His Mom

5. the event
Created by NY-based, nationally renowned photographer Joe Standart, Portrait
of America is a series of site-specific public art exhibitions exploring universal
issues and crossing the four geographic regions of our country. The first exhibition
took place in New London, Connecticut transforming the downtown district into
a vibrant video and photo exhibition, which came to life in the city streets, train
and ferry stations, cultural institutions, workplaces, and galleries. The result was a
continuously evolving, living Portrait, energized by the community’s connections to
and within it. Designed not merely to adorn the city, but also to celebrate it, Portrait
brought together art and community development to enrich the cultural experience
of New London and invigorate the city’s public spaces, inspiring and challenging
us to see our neighbor and our community in a different light, perhaps with
more understanding and compassion. This exhibit created an invisible umbrella
that turned the entire city into a gallery, served as a catalyst for economic growth
in the business and arts communities, and sparked social change by promoting
greater awareness and understanding. The overwhelming response of the
community and the media helped Standart realize that he had captured an essence
and lead to his desire to create a series of projects in the four disparate regions of
the country that when united create a Portrait of America. Additional exhibitions
are planned for Detroit, three linked regions of Connecticut, Minneapolis,
New Orleans, and Santa Barbara.
The project
The process begins as Standart works closely with community organizations to
depict through portraiture the full range of our increasingly diverse urban and rural
environments. The goal of each portrait is to discover and honor the individual’s
innate dignity. The exhibition is then constructed of monumental images each
trumpeting the self-worth of dozens of individuals. The penetrating portraits are
of legislators and activists, servicemen and delinquents, farmers and shopkeepers,
factoryworkersandunionleaders.Theimagesconfronttheirviewerwithexpressions
thatareattimescontemplativeordetached,amusedormilitant,insecure,searching,
or simply content. Standart helps us see the universality of the human experience,
the loves, joys, disappointments, and struggles common to us all. While the images
reference civic hardship, crumbling infrastructure and crippling urban or rural
demise, the images illuminate our inherent sense of dignity, pride, and well-being
The opening events reach into many segments of the subject communities
encouraging entrepreneurs, musicians, students, waitresses, and art lovers to come
together in a celebration of who they are – a celebration of life.
Firemen
artists
chemists
window washers
legislators
activists
power brokers
thrift store
shoppers
servicemen
delinquents
trendsetters
students
truckers
Standart asked himself, “How can I use my skills as
a photographer to inspire, change, and make a ­difference?”
His answer is Portrait of America.

6. Anthony Brown & Daughter

7. the community impact
The Americans for the Arts, the countries leading arts advocate
group based in Washington DC, has shown in countless studies
that the arts have a major sustainable impact on communities
stimulating economic growth and fostering civic pride. They
have proven time and again that for every dollar spent on
producing such projects, eight dollars are returned directly to
the community. Portrait of America highlights the positive role
the arts play in sustaining vigorous constructive communities
and the important role individuals and corporations have in
sustaining the arts. The project’s reach is greatly extended by
leveraging the web and has a presence on numerous social
networking sites engaging the country’s major ethnic and
social groups. Community outreach and inclusion are critical to
achieving Standart’s vision as made clear through the Project’s
New London program with the local public school systems,
“Self-Awareness through Self-Portraiture.” This engages
students in the discovery of their own creativity and voice,
providing them with solid marketable media skills. The students’
work will be included in the exhibition allowing the Project to
reach deeper into the fabric of the community with a positive
message and outlet.
“To capture these images and to
make them available for all the public
to study and appreciate is a special
gift that Joe Standart is giving
our community.”
Patrick Gilbert
Senior Vice President
Bank of America
“My initial reaction of the New
London project was WOW!”
Gaston Daumy
Latin Network for the Visual Arts
Keven DeShields, Boxer

8. the exhibitions
Portrait of America interacts with the public on many levels. It
starts with the act of creating the pictures; Standart digs deep
into the many diverse population groups that make up our com-
munities to find his subjects. Then with over 80 images and
video displays in the city center, he presents his work back to the
community for all to see and contemplate. Five interactive, site
specific exhibitions are anticipated around the country.
New LondonDetroit
SANTA BARBARA
DETROIT
HARTFORD
MINNEAPOLIS
NEW ORLEANS

9. Sarah Frasher Views Her Portrait
Connecticut
Detroit
New London

10. Chris and Margarida Clouet
portrait of america
Portrait of America is a monumental photographic essay and exhibit that
explores vital issues of contemporary American society. While Portrait
is created in four diverse regions of the country (Northeast, South,
Midwest, and West), it is intended to reveal the nation as a whole. The
Project illuminates specific sociological facets of life in America — SELF,
HOME, WORK, and PLAY — at the turn of the millennium. Each segment will
culminate in a larger-than-life exhibition intended to draw attention to the
issues revolving around its respective theme. At their completion the four
segments will be combined into one expansive show to tour the United States
and abroad following its debut in Washington, DC.
“Through its ambitious scope and
innovative design, Portrait Of
America helped New London to
flourish and be known as a center
for arts and cultural interests.”
Andrea L. Stillman
Senator
State of Connecticut

11. George Clark, Artist

12. Matt and Season Cadis, Expectant Family

13. an exhibition & public art event by joe standart
Portrait of America is sponsored by the New York Foundation
for the Arts and other prominent arts organizations.
© All images copyright Joe Standart 2008
the artist
Joe Standart is a widely acclaimed photographer and
internationally known artist, whose print and TV campaigns have
won awards from The Andys, the One Show and many others.
His fine art photography has been exhibited widely and is in the
collections of many private collectors and museums.
His passion for photography and for social issues lead to his
monumental public art exhibition/event: Portrait of a City, The New London Project,which
was widely covered by the press including The New York Times and ABC News. It is the
genesis of Portrait of America.
He began his career in 1974 shooting for National Park Service in Alaska creating
imagery for books, magazines and a national traveling exhibition.
Joe worked with The Nature Conservancy to create Tidelands, a photo essay on the
lower Connecticut River. Joe has published three books.
He was a founding director of Photographers and Friends United Against Aids, a director
of the Florence Griswold Museum, and of the Advertising Photographers of America.
He lives with his wife and two children in New York City.
Paul, Sylvia, and Anneliese Lapides

14. www.portraitofamerica.org
S E L F
Gardener, Steele, and King, U.S. Navy Seamen
$10.00 • design:smizerperry
This show will literally require viewers to walk through downtown New London to see it
… that’s what is so unique about it.
The New York Times
A visit to New London these days is like strolling through an art gallery
— all city residents glowing with pride.
The Boston Globe
Portrait Of America enriches and invigorates the visitors’ and residents’ experience… inspiring,
informing and challenging us to see our surroundings and our neighbors more clearly and with a
compassion informed by his art.
Jennifer S. Aniskovich -Executive Director
Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism