My photography

William Christenberry was born on November 5, 1963 in Tuscaloosa Alabama. As a child, he took trips during the summer to stay with his extended family in Hale County. He graduated from the University of Alabama with Master of Arts in Painting in 1959. After graduating, Christenberry moved to New York City in order to better promote his artwork and gain recognition as an artist. While in New York, Christenberry befriended Walker Evans, who convinced him to take photography more seriously as an art form. In 1968 Christenberry began what became a life long ritual of returning to Hale County every summer in order to take photos.

Originally he used a Kodak Brownie camera to take pictures of places that "haunted" his memory. He would then take his pictures and use them as references for his paintings and sculptures. During the summer of 1973 Walker Evans accompanied Christenberry to Hale County. One of the most unique works of art he created was on a trip in 1974, when he documented the decay of the buildings that he had taken pictures of previously.

Arguably one of his most controversial works is a room titled "The Klan Room", which Christenberry has filled with multi-media projects focused on the Ku Klux Klan. Christenberry is not for white supremacy, he was inspired to create this work from a childhood experience that haunted/fascinated him throughout his life. One day Christenberry heard that there was to be a Klan meeting at the Tuscaloosa County Court House, when he tried to sneak in he was scared away by a sentry. This terrifying experience led him to create the "Klan Room" which was mysteriously burgled in 1979.

Christenberry teaches at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington D.C. He continues to return to Hale County every summer to take photos and revisit the places of his childhood.

I took all of my photos in Hayden Alabama, which is about 20 miles north of Birmingham. I rode around with a good friend of mine and he generously showed me the local scenery, which is very rural and quite beautiful. This photo is of a bridge which spans the Warrior river. It has been decommissioned and in is in ill repair.