FORWARD

The idea of America, and the American identity, has been central to this country’s cultural conversation and debate since its inception. America past, present, and future is an ongoing experiment in free will and liberty for all who reach its welcoming shores, plow its fertile soil, and raise their children  to achieve that great promise of the American Dream. In The American Experiment, photographer Brandon Ralph presents an exploration of the patriotic symbols, the vast and varied landscape, and the tapestry of humanity that poses the question anew: What makes an American? The result is a finely wrought collection of moments and Americans captured in time, separated by decades and by state lines, by events of national significance and by the invisible routines of day-to-day life. In Ralph’s starkly beautiful and unwaveringly sensitive images, there is a sense of timelessness that speaks to our collective nostalgia, our unflagging optimism, and our unending pursuit of freedom for all people.

THE FLAG

The American flag is more than an ever-present symbol. It unites us as a country, promising refuge and sanctuary for everyone in need, under one roof, with freedom and the pursuit of a better life possible for all. That promise is sewn into the fabric of our childhood, as we pledge our allegiance to its stars and stripes. Ubiquitous, from city skyscraper to sun-bleached ranchlands, it reminds us that we’re living through this great experiment together. And that the work of our forebears, which began with the most generous of intentions, has throughout nearly three centuries sparked myriad revolutions, in the name of nostalgia and national pride, racial division and civil reform, violence and patriotism. In this, the flag also represents a nation mourning as one, even as its symbolism is increasingly co-opted and redefined by opposing viewpoints.

Shelter Island, New York, 2017

Southampton, New York, 2021

Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2020

Chelsea, New York, 2010

FIDI, New York, 2016

Wrightsville, Georgia, 2022

Chinatown, New York, 2017

Los Angeles, California, 2019

Greenwich Village, New York, 2020

Babylon, New York, 2021

THE PEOPLE

America’s promise stretches into the remotest corners of this country, offering opportunity and hope. The American Experiment is solely dependent on the people who live here, naturally connecting us all, regardless of age, race, cultural values, or wealth. And yet the common values that bring us together, from state to state or town to town, at times can be very hard to place. In Ralph’s images, our unique struggles become shared experiences, revealing the spectrum of emotions in American life that belong to us all: doubt, joy, anger, love, pain, and hope.

Soho, New York, 2023

New York, New York, 2012

New Orleans, Louisiana, 2007

Fire Island, New York, 2011

Union Square, New York, 2016

Atlantic City, New Jersey, 2018

New York, New York, 2016

Atlantic City, New Jersey, 2018

Brooklyn, New York, 2009

Chelsea, New York, 2016

THE LAND

America is vast and varied in its landscape and architecture. Mankind has touched nearly every
mile that lies between shining seas and fresh waters. In this collection of startling yet precisely composed images, Ralph turns his lens to the pervasive yet fragile intersection of the natural world and the reach of the hand of man, depicting our impact on this land–from highways and telephone lines to fences and walls, from private homes to public spaces, his work reveals what separates and connects us, as we constantly reinvent our relationship with neighbors, cultures, and community.

Bridgehampton, New York, 2015

Detroit, Michigan, 2017

Brownsville, Tennessee, 2020

New York, New York, 2007

Groom, Texas, 2020

New Mexico, 2020

New Orleans, Louisiana, 2007

Amagansett, New York, 2016

Erick Oklahoma, 2020

Ohio, 2024