On the Road with On the Road:
a photographic companion to Kerouac’s On the Road
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 15th 5:00 – 8:00pm
Exhibition: October 15th – November 13th
Presented in tandem with Passing Through (Visualizing Sound) by John Clarke in the Focus Gallery.
America © by Carl M Moore
Join us at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, and take a road trip with us as we revisit Jack Kerouac’s seminal work through this visual companion created by Carl M Moore. Our presentation of this exhibition started with a photographer walking in off the street, into one of our Wednesday evening open house/peer preview sessions (the second Wednesday of every month, for anyone interested in dropping in) book in hand. His appearance, tall, lanky, spoke of miles traveled, and hinted that this was a man with something to say and the intelligence to say it well. He listened quietly as the assembled members and visitors shared their work, offering occasional feedback, and then… he shared he was from Santa Fe, that he had been following us online for a few years, and dropped his book on the table. I knew instantly that I wanted to build an exhibition around this newly released book, to share the stories it looks to tell, and the look at America contains. The resulting exhibition is designed to travel, as befits this visual companion to an American road trip….
– David DeMelim,
Managing Director,
RI Center for Photographic Arts
Artist Statement: On the Road with On the Road
Robert Frank’s The Americans redefined photography in 1959 and inspired Carl Moore to hit the road with Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Like Frank, Moore sought to reveal America to Americans—capturing the landscapes, faces, and fleeting moments that echo Kerouac’s metaphorical vision.
From Denver, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to a cross-country drive with his son from Santa Fe to New England, Moore retraces Sal Paradise’s footsteps with his Nikon in hand. The result is a vivid, contemporary counterpart to Kerouac’s masterpiece—where the photographs themselves feel restless, alive, and haunted by the same hunger for the open road.
As Jim Sampas notes in his Foreword, “It isn’t often that something comes in that excites me as much as this project.” These images remind us of the beauty and variety of human experience, the thrill of movement, and the quiet grace of stillness. Paired with passages from On the Road, they invite us to see Kerouac’s America anew—and to feel again the irresistible pull of the road.
Biographical:
I’m an emeritus professor, retired from Kent State University where I taught for 26 years. My university research and my work in the real world has been to figure out how to make it safe for people in groups to say what is on their minds. When that happens, good things get done. So I have served as a facilitator to public groups, especially governments and NGOs. I focus on the process so the group members are able to focus on the content. My first photography workshop – and the inception of when I began thinking seriously about capturing images in a camera – took place the same week in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. I live in Santa Fe, NM.
Website: carlmoorephotography.com
great brown innocent eyes © by Carl M Moore
Opening Reception: October 15th 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Exhibition: Thursday, October 15th – November 13th, 2026
The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI
Located in the heart of Providence, RICPA was founded to inspire creative development and provide opportunities to engage with the community through exhibitions, education, publication, and mutual support.
RICPA exists to create a diverse and supportive community for individuals interested in learning or working in the Photographic Arts. We strive to provide an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas in an open and cooperative space. Members should share a passion for creating, appreciating, or learning about all forms of photo-based media. We work to provide a platform for artistic expression, that fosters dialogue and drives innovation in the photographic arts.
The Gallery at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts is a member of Gallery Night Providence https://www.gallerynight.org/
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