We Are Americans. There Are No Heroes

We are Americans. There Are No Heroes is an archival based visual art project that investigates the cultural and material preservation of phenomena surrounding United States Presidents. The work employs photo-collage, video, and conceptual installation in order to re-contextualize material related to these figures and conceptually investigate the idealization of singular—usually white and male—figures as heroes in American politics. The project’s title manipulates the driving messages in President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address which emphasized sacrifice as a benchmark of civilian nationalism. Pulling from text, audio, and images related to speeches, print media, and advertisements; this project also evaluates the vernacular used throughout presidential campaigns and eventual terms. Through processes of recombination and assemblage, We Are Americans. There Are No Heroes employs archeological practice to present this archive as an entity that works both with and against itself. 

Storm Bookhard, 2020.