Ocean Temperature by Kimberly Ritchie (PSU Art Faculty)
Exhibited from August 22 to December 5, 2014 on the Lamson Learning Commons Art Display Wall
Route 66, also known as the road to opportunity, linked Chicago to Los Angeles between 1926 and the mid 1950′s. The road functions as a metaphorical bridge, connecting the country socially and culturally, bringing people to paradisaical California. The road enabled over 200,000 people to migrate to California, escaping the Dust Bowl. After World War II, thousands of soldiers and sailors sought the perfect climate and plentiful jobs on the West Coast. Once again Route 66 facilitated their relocation. As people migrated along the route, it served as a cultural conduit, transporting ideas, progressive thinking, and diversity westward. The road to opportunity led to California, a place for a better life and where paradise could be found. Portfolio exchange participants are asked to provide their own take on Route 66 Westbound to Paradise, taking into consideration Route 66, the road to opportunity as a catalyst for social change.
Friendship Bracelet by Althea Murphy-Price
The print portfolio exchange was curated by artist Fawn Atencio of Denver, CO. Eighteen printmaking artists participated in the exchange, including Professor Kimberly Anderson Ritchie at PSU. Route 66 Westbound to Paradise is scheduled to be exhibited at the Mid-America Print Council in Detroit, MI; Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; California State University, Northridge, CA; Kansas State Art Institute, Kansas City, MO; Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK; University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso TX; and Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH. (Exhibit and artist information provided by Fawn Atencio, http://www.songlinespress.com/projects.html)