Graham, David M.
American, b. 1952
BiographyTraveling widely throughout the United States, David Graham chronicles idiosyncratic aspects of the American vernacular landscape while paying homage to popular forms of photography, such as family snapshots and vacation pictures. Seeking out subjects, in his own words, "that celebrate our singular freedom of expression," Graham photographs colorful roadside attractions and unusual oddities, finding strange and surreal qualities in ordinary places. In addition to self-guided projects, which have been exhibited at various U.S. museums and galleries and published in book form, Graham has also worked as a freelance editorial photographer for publications such as The New York Times and Harper's. Graham initially studied sociology at Gettysburg College (1970-73) before completing a BFA at Philadelphia College of Art (1976) and an MFA in Photography from Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Pennsylvania (1980), where he studied under Ray K. Metzker and William Larson, respectively. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Bibliotheque Nationale, among others. He has taught photography at Moore College of Art and Bucks County Community College, and has been a professor at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia since 1999.