Portrait of an American Road
On view beginning August 20, 2026, in the Orange Hall of The OKC Underground.
Portrait of an American Road is a photographic exhibition exploring the enduring presence of Route 66—an iconic American highway shaped by movement, memory, and the passage of time. Through a series of black-and-white images created over decades, the work reveals not only what remains along the road, but what has been left behind—structures, signs, and spaces that quietly hold the stories of those who once passed through.
ARTIST STATEMENT
For more than three decades, my work has centered on portraiture. I have been drawn to sit with people in quiet, honest moments—to look beyond surface and circumstance and reveal something deeper: the individuality, dignity, and soul within every person. At its best, portraiture creates a bridge—an intimate connection between subject and viewer.
This work along Route 66 grew from that same instinct. What I came to understand is that the road itself can be approached as a portrait—not of a single person, but of a living presence shaped by time, memory, and human experience. Like the lines on a weathered face, its worn pavement, aging structures, and open stretches hold the imprint of countless lives, carrying quiet stories of hope, struggle, reinvention, and endurance.
As I traveled the road over decades, I was not searching for spectacle, but for presence—its essence. In these places, I encountered the same emotional truth I find in portraiture: vulnerability and strength, permanence and impermanence, existing side by side.
Now, on the centennial of Route 66, these photographs are being shared as an offering— honoring the road’s enduring spirit and the lives shaped by its path. Rendered in black and white, the images move beyond a specific moment in time, inviting the viewer to encounter Route 66 not simply as a place, but as a subject with its own identity, history, and soul.
In the end, this work is not about a road—it is about presence. A portrait of Route 66, and in many ways, a reflection of ourselves.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Randy Bacon is a contemporary American portrait photographer and filmmaker based in Springfield, Missouri. For more than three decades, his work has explored the depth, dignity, and complexity of the human experience, often focusing on individuals and communities navigating life’s most vulnerable and transformative moments. Known for his emotive and intimate visual language, Randy creates portraits that reveal the quiet strength, resilience, and inherent worth of his subjects. His photography has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and internationally, including the Kansas City Museum, Hickory Museum of Art, Springfield Art Museum, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, and others. His work has received national and international recognition and is held in both private and permanent collections. Collectively, his portrait projects form an enduring visual archive preserving stories often unseen or unheard.
In addition to photography, Randy is an award-winning filmmaker whose documentary work extends his commitment to human-centered storytelling. His films—including The Last Days of Extraordinary Lives, Man Up and Go, and The Soft Surrender—have screened nationally and internationally, earning recognition for their emotional depth and compassionate exploration of the human condition.
While best known for portraiture and film, Randy approaches his Route 66 work with the same intent—photographing the road as he would a person. Through this lens, Route 66 becomes a living subject shaped by time, memory, and the lives that have passed through it, revealing a presence defined by endurance, vulnerability, and quiet grace.
