Perspectives

Less of a formal lecture than a series of conversations, UT Professor of American Studies, Steven Hoelscher, will present a Gallery Talk that will take the form of a journey through time, beginning in the mid-1950s and traveling through 2014. Professor Hoelscher will reflect on changing American experiences during this tumultuous half-century as seen through images by both U.S. and foreign-born photographers. He will also consider the incredible variation of the American landscape itself—of the vast open spaces, the crowded streets, the lonely back roads, and the signs pointing the way. By looking closely at the photographs themselves—created by some of the most distinguished image-makers of our time—this Gallery Talk seeks to help us see the everyday places that we live in and travel through in a new way.

Image Credit:
Hitchhikers on the Road from Albuquerque to Gallup, New Mexico, 1960
Gelatin-silver print
Inge Morath/Magnum Photos

About Steven Hoelscher

Born and raised in the Upper Midwest, Professor Hoelscher got to Texas as soon as he could. He joined the Department of American Studies in 2000, after first teaching at LSU and, before that, completing his Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Wisconsin. During 2003-2004, he was Senior Fulbright Professor in the North American Studies Program at the University of Bonn. Today, he splits his time between American Studies and the Harry Ransom Center, where he is the Academic Curator of Photography.

Research Interests
Professor Hoelscher’s research interests include: the history of photography; North American and European urbanism; social constructions of space and place, landscape and region; ethnicity and race; and cultural memory. His books include Reading Magnum (recognized as a 2013 Photo Book of the Year by American Photo Magazine), Picturing Indians (winner of the 2009 Wisconsin Historical Society Book Award of Merit), Heritage on Stage, and Textures of Place(co-edited with Karen Till and Paul Adams), and he has published more than 40 book chapters and articles in such journals as American Indian Culture and Research Journal, American Quarterly, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Ecumene (now, Cultural Geographies), Geographical Review, GeoHumanities, GeoJournal, History of Photography, Journal of Historical Geography, Public Historian, Rundbrief Fotografie, and Social and Cultural Geography.

Free admission is made possible every Thursday by the Moody Foundation.

The Blanton is located at the intersection of Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.  Paid parking is available in the Brazos Garage on Brazos Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Parking is $4; bring your ticket with you to the museum.

A UT construction project will fence off some paths to the Blanton from 8.16.17 – 1.31.18. 

The drop-off area and disabled parking spaces on Jester Circle (between Jester Dorm and the museum) will be inaccessible.Visitors will still be able to access the museum via the sidewalk on MLK Jr. Blvd, and disabled parking is still available in the Brazos Garage.Our Visitor Services staff can help if you have questions, are disabled, or need extra assistance: 512.471.5482. We apologize for any inconvenience.