McNair Evans photographs, 2012-2013, 2017

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Summary

Abstract:
Shot during fifteen-day Amtrak train excursions, "In Search of Great Men" by photographer McNair Evans combines original photography with first-person, passenger-written accounts in an exploration of contemporary American culture and the people traveling on the Amtrak trains that criss-cross the United States. The photographic body of work consists of 30 large color digital prints, all sized 24x29 inches, featuring portraits of travelers and settings in train stations and passenger cars. The color prints are accompanied by a reproduction of a handmade photonarrative journal of 156 pages with 76 4x5 inch inkjet photographs, paired with comments and journal entries by the photographer, and reproductions of handwritten commentary by the passengers, who reflect on their lives and circumstances, including long-distance family relationships and problems with drug abuse. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.
Extent:
6 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language:
Materials in English
Research Center:
Archive of Documentary Arts
Collection ID:
RL.11557

Background

Scope and content:

Shot during fifteen-day Amtrak train excursions, "In Search of Great Men" by photographer McNair Evans combines original photography with first-person, passenger-written accounts in an exploration of contemporary American culture through the people traveling on the Amtrak trains that criss-cross the United States. The photographic body of work consists of 30 large color digital prints, all sized approximately 24x29 inches, featuring portraits of travelers and settings in train stations and passenger cars. The color prints are accompanied by a reproduction of a handmade photonarrative journal of 156 pages with 76 4x5 inch inkjet photographs, paired with comments and journal entries by the photographer, and reproductions of handwritten commentary by the passengers, who reflect on their lives and circumstances, including long-distance family relationships and problems with drug abuse.

From the artist's statement: "Of course it can be a beautiful way to travel, but for the most part long-distance trains are for people trying to get their lives together, to find work, or to reunite with people they love whom they hope will love them back. This project explores that search for something just out of reach and a bit intangible. It is about the desire for change and the possibility of hope fulfilled...From the promotion of Manifest Destiny, to the creation of time zones, and the fraternal structure of the Civil Rights Movement, passenger train travel has shaped what it means to be American. Comparing this legacy to a prominent and evolving means of transportation in other nations, the current status of Amtrak and the relationships of passengers to the system at large is of great cross-cultural significance."

For this photographic project, McNair Evans received the 2017 Archive of Documentary Arts Award for Innovation in the Documentary Arts.

Biographical / historical:

McNair Evans is a photographer based in San Francisco and a 2016 Guggenheim Photography Fellow.

He explores themes of shared experiences and identity by photographing the American cultural landscape admits forces of modernization. His personal, often autobiographical, subject matter is recognized for its literary character, unconventional narrative form, and metaphoric use of light.

Growing up in a small farming town in North Carolina, McNair Evans worked repairing track on a 32-mile railroad. He discovered photography studying anthropology at Davidson College, where he received a BA in 2001.

He continued his education with one-on-one mentorships with highly acclaimed pioneers of new documentary practices, Mike Smith of Johnson City, Tennessee, and Magnum Photographer Alec Soth, while earning a Masters of Fine Arts in Photography. Soth nominated McNair for the John Gutmann Foundation Photography Fellowship Award in 2014.

McNair's work has been exhibited across the country, and featured in editorial publications such as Harper's Magazine and The New Yorker, as well as on the cover of William Faulkner's novel, Flags in the Dust. He lectures regularly at universities and colleges.

He was the recipient of Duke University's 2017 Archive of Documentary Arts Award for Innovation in the Documentary Arts.

Acquisition information:
The McNair Evans photographs were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2017.
Processing information:

Processed and encoded by Sylvia Herbold, December 2017.

Accession(s) described in this collection guide: 2017-0196.

Physical / technical access:

Printed with Epson Stylus Pro 11880 on Moab Juniper Baryta Rag, 305 gsm, 100 percent cotton fiber paper with barium sulfate baryta surface, using Epson UltraChrome K3 ink.

The bound composition notebook journal in the collection includes inkjet prints and reproductions of handwritten texts.

Physical facet:
30 prints; 1 journal
Dimensions:
24x29 inches
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

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Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Images may only be used for educational, non-commercial purposes; any other use requires the photographer's permission.

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], McMair Evans photographs, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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