Declaring Independence

"Declaring Independence" is the fourth in David Graham's trilogy of photographic books about the American cultural landscape. Unable to stop searching the country for the odd, unusual and colorful, Graham has continued on his quest to find out how Americans express themselves through their environments. The result of his latest journey is this book of photographs which delves further into the complex weave of image, symbol and reality that we see as America at its finest. From coast to coast, from dinosaurs to space ships, Graham has put together an engaging and joyous collection of photographs that show what it means to be an American.

David Graham is a photographer who lives in two worlds. To pay the rent, he is a freelance photographer who shoots for magazines such as "Time, Newsweek" and the "New York Times Magazine," He also makes photographs that come from his own private muse, yielding work that addresses the American cultural landscape. These photographs have been collected in five previous books, "Alone Together "(Pond Press 2002), "Taking Liberties "(Pond Press 2001), "Land of the Free "(Aperture 1999), "Only in America "(Knopf 1991) and "American Beauty "(Aperture 1987). These photographs are also to be found in major museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, the Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He is also an associate professor at the Univeristy of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA.

Peter Wilkinson (Introduction) is a writer with a wide following that results for his work as a contributing editor at "Rolling Stone" magazine since 1988.