American Celebration: Ted Degener Photographs
Printed at Smart Set Community Printing, Minneapolis, MN
Book Deign by Dennis Grady
142 pages, Softcover
In 1981, while in a hurry, I made a u-turn, dragged myself out of the car, and shot the photograph which would then be called “The Ronald Years”. That moment made me realize that there is metaphoric content hiding right in front of us everywhere.
I had always been amazed by the beauty of handmade objects. Advertisements on a highway fruit stand in perfect light could be achingly beautiful, and signage could be works of art.
I’d been a road-tripper since the 60s, and one early roadtrip’s motivation was to see the Watt’s Towers, beginning a long-time obsession with self-made environments and roadside attractions.
A result of my obsession, this book is a tribute to those who gave that extra something, intentionally or inadvertently. Perhaps it’s an American phenomenon, accidental in its combination of naïveté, goofiness, optimism, and backwardness, revealing itself as a kind of visual folk art, appearing on occasion through the cracks in our homogenizing landscape.
Enjoy the ride.
— Ted Degener, 2025
