Snapshot America:
A Portrait of the United States in 2026
Thank you to everyone who submitted their reflection on the United States to help us build this Portrait of America at 250. Work has been selected for our gallery exhibition from:
Christine Acebo, Eliot Allen, Carmine Angeloni, Buddy Baker-Smith, Stan Banos, Kevin Belanger, Dan Borden, Beverly Brennan, Tyler Brumfield, Wallace Burchett, Ronald Butler, Maureen Cain, Tyler Cartier, RJ Clarke, Annemarie Coffey, Daniel Cook, David Corina, Cherie Correll, Marilyn Cvitanic, Steve Daubs, Chuck Davis, Glenn DeRosa, Lisa Di Giacomo, John Diephouse, Mark Dixon, Jean Duffy, A. Cemal Ekin, Nancy Farese, Ellen Feldman, Louise Fiore, Nick Fiorellini, Heather Freinkel, Diego Garcia-Rojas, Kristie Gardiner, Barbara Gasdaglis, Robert Gervais, Denise Hawkins, Virginia Hines, Parker Jackson, Marky Kauffmann, Richard Kent, Nykeba King, Gerald Klein, Suz Lipman, Joni Lohr, Joanna Madloch, Steve Mason, Luke Merz, Sean Mitchell, Judith Montminy, Luis Mora, Oscar O’Brien, Apolonia Panagopoulos, Jay Phyfer, Gerald Ponterio, Jeff Potter, Robin Radin, Betsy Ritz, Kelly Roberts, Terry Rochford, Phil Roeder, Peter Rosenberg, Robert Roth, Terry Shampoe, Jay Shifman, Janine Simmons, Leland Smith, Jeff Smudde, Kun Kyung Sok, Ben Spiewak, Tom Stoffregen, Sharon Sturgis, Cynthia Taft, Matthew Temple, Brian R. Tolbert, Kevin Tudish, Charlotte Tuminelli, Andrea Warner, David Whitney, Jared Winslow & Kate Zari Roberts
Following up on our 2024 Snapshot of America, timed to be in the gallery just ahead of the Presidential Election, we present Snapshot America: 2026, timed to coincide with the Mid-Term Elections. I have juried a collection of images from around the country, to look at ideas of community, friends, neighborhoods, local events, landmarks and just everyday activities that represent life in America in 2026. These are not necessarily my ideas, but represent, in broad strokes, the views and the issues portrayed in the images submitted. This juried call was open to entries from all 50 states and 14 Territories that comprise the United States of America, to present a current portrait of these United States of America in 2026.
What does present day America look like to you? What do you celebrate? What keeps you up at night? These are some of the ideas we are looked to explore as we created this time capsule of United States of America in the run up to the 2026 mid-term elections. In addition to the gallery exhibition, we have created a slideshow of images to feature an expanded section of images submitted, and will be publishing an expanded collection in book form.
– David DeMelim,
Managing Director,
RI Center for Photographic Arts
The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI
Exhibition: Thursday, November 19th, thru Friday, December 11th, 2026
Opening Reception: November 19th, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Curation: Curation of This collection for the gallery exhibition and the expanded view included in the resulting book will be overseen by David DeMelim, Managing director of the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts in collaboration with a team of educators, members and curators.
Snapshot America: 2026 catalog will be available shortly.
Gallery Night Providence Reception: November 19th, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Exhibition: Thursday, November 19th thru Friday, December 11th
Coming November 24th – Click the image to take a virtual walk through the exhibition
Curatorial Statement: Snapshot America: A Portrait of these United States in 2026
The images in this exhibition were culled from a national call for entries, open to entries from all 50 states and 14 Territories that comprise the United States of America today.
Our goal was to create a snapshot of America today using as wide a lens as possible. With this in mind, limiting ubiquitous events, like 4th of July Parades and County Fairs, that happen across the country, to one or two images that best represent that particular slice of life in America allowed room to present a fuller look at the times we live in. Looking for the images that captured, or presented ideas with the broadest range of interest was not a value judgment on the event or idea the photograph represented per se, but a judgment on how readable the photograph was. Would someone from half way across the country, or half a century into the future, be able to connect with the image? Would they recognize or be able to connect with the story the image presents? Would it motivate them to use Google (or whatever search engine is currently in vogue) to learn more about the event pictured? Would it trigger a memory of a similar event or serve as a reminder to some current struggle and engender a little empathy? These were some of the considerations I weighed as I tried to fit the whole country into a gallery exhibition. With an original target of 80 images, it was a challenge to include a full range of ideas, or views of America in 2026. In the end, the exhibition includes 126 images… fortunately we had reserved all of our gallery space for this Snapshot of America.
The resulting exhibition presents a look at these United States of America in broad strokes… a Snapshot of this moment in time. It is a portrait built out the images submitted that hopefully will spark conversations, trigger memories and possibly even drive change. I am grateful for all the photographers who entered work to help us make this Portrait of America. A great many strong photographs had to left out as we endeavored to be as inclusive in presenting events and ideas from around the country.
In the end, I hope the images selected stand the test of time. Their ability to communicate without a title, without words to explain their context or intended meaning, into the future, as a record of America in 2026. While some of the images are a little obtuse they all speak to present issues and concerns, some more directly than others.
– David DeMelim
The RI Center for Photographic Arts, RICPA 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI 02903
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.
We are member supported, the first step to membership is registration – https://www.riphotocenter.org/registration Details on membership options can be found at https://www.riphotocenter.org/membership-info
The Gallery at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts is a member of Gallery Night Providence https://www.gallerynight.org
Questions: Contact gallery@riphotocenter.org To learn about other RICPA exhibits and programs, visit https://www.riphotocenter.org
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