American Character

"Photography is about catching one frame, one great moment that tells a story."
— Eric Ogden, photographer

American Character: A Photographic Journey is a celebration of the extraordinary people, from all walks of life, who make this country what it is. Conceived by USA Network with the support of Aperture Foundation, this book is an outgrowth of the Character Project, an ongoing artistic initiative inspired by USA's "Characters Welcome" brand.

Legendary photographers Mary Ellen Mark and Sylvia Plachy are joined by Dawoud Bey, Jeff Dunas, David Eustace, and Eric Ogden and emerging talents Marla Rutherford, Anna Mia Davidson, Joe Fornabaio, Eric McNatt, and Richard Renaldi, each of whom brings their unique style and interest to bear on the subject of character.

Whether they looked to the inhabitants of their own hometowns, to organic farmers of the Northwest, to students in a modern American city, or to the people connected by a single road, each artist has created a collection of portraits as varied as the country itself. Says Mary Ellen Mark, "When you do a portrait of someone, you try and show who they really are." These musicians and mothers, fishermen and farmers, athletes and artists, at home, at work, and at play, represent what it means to live in America today.

Best-selling author and former "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw writes in the foreword, "As a nation, we're much more of an ethnic mosaic today than at any time in our history. These pages are a tribute to that new reality, and in these photographs you see the changing face of a nation against familiar backdrops." In this memorable collection, the lens transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, and reveals the true character of this country.

View select photographs and pre-order the book at www.ChronicleBooks.com, and go behind the scenes with the photographers at www.usanetwork.com/series/characterproject.

The collected works will also be displayed in a series of gallery exhibitions visiting seven American cities: New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Los Angeles:

New York City
March 13-14 at Stephan Weiss Studio
Washington, D.C.
April 3-4 at Pepco's Edison Place Gallery
Philadelphia
April 17-18 at Wexler Gallery
Chicago
April 24-25 at Alan Koppel Gallery
St. Louis
May 1-3 at The Regional Arts Commission Gallery
San Francisco
May 8-9 at Chronicle Books Headquarters
Los Angeles
May 15-16 at ACE Gallery - Beverly Hills

ENTER TO WIN A FREE COPY OF AMERICAN CHARACTER!

Tell us what makes you a character and enter to win a free copy of the book! Email us at webmaster@chroniclebooks.com with the subject line: CHARACTER. Three winners will be selected at random and notified by email.

Thanks for subscribing to our Art & Design newsletter! Keep up with the latest from Chronicle Books on our blog, and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and deals.

More Art and Design Titles

This Is for You

Artful, eye-catching, and full of heart, renowned screen printer and artist Rob Ryan's papercuts have graced book covers, album covers, and the fashion collections of Paul Smith.

Manuel Alvarez Bravo
Photopoetry

Manuel Alvarez Bravo (1902-2002) picked up a camera in 1923, unaware that he would go on to become Mexico's most celebrated photographer. This first major retrospective of his eighty-year career, showcases hundreds of iconic photographs and unveils more than twenty previously unpublished images.

Odyssey
The Photographs of Linda Connor

In Linda Connor's photographs, even the humblest subjects assume a visual radiance. From the clarity of her portraits and landscapes to her sunlight printing technique, Connor's body of work evokes a sense of otherworldly serenity.

California Academy of Sciences

This is the story of an architectural masterpiece detailing the intricacies of form and function: its 2.5-acre rooftop garden, the 60,000 photovoltaic cells designed to power the building, and its use of natural light and ventilation.