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Book - American Artifacts 

Matt Black 

"During his six-year journey across the United States creating the project that became American Geography, Matt Black collected objects in the locations he visited. Each location is designated as an area of “concentrated poverty”—a US Census definition for places with poverty rates of 20% or higher. Over time, the objects he found and collected began to take on symbolic significance.

As Black crisscrossed the United States, his collection grew into the thousands: plastic spoons and forks, lottery tickets, liquor bottles, lighters, and matchbooks. Some items were important, like job applications,... 

Matt Black 2018

Pasco, Washington. 2015. Discarded hangers. 

Matt Black 2019

USA. Greenville, Mississippi. 2019. Alley fence. 

Matt Black 2016

USA. Pleasant Point, Maine. 2016. Cups hang in a house on the... 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Syracuse, New York. 2020. Storefront. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Traver, California. 2018. Panhandling sign. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Mendota, California. 2018. Glove. 

Matt Black 2017

USA. Tulelake, California. 2017. Discarded hairbrush. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Man, West Virginia. 2015. Flash card. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Gallup, New Mexico. 2018. Bottle. 

Matt Black 2017

USA. Lindsay, California. 2017. Discarded clothes. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Huron, South Dakota. 2015. Shoe. 

Matt Black 2023

USA. Exeter, California. 2022. Play money. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Gallup, New Mexico. 2018. Bolt. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Del Rio, Texas. 2018. Crossword. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Niagara Falls, New York. 2019. Clothes hanger. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Binghamton, New York. 2019. Shoes. 

Matt Black 2024

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Discarded silverware photographed... 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Gallup, New Mexico. 2018. Panhandling sign. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Gallup, New Mexico. 2018. Panhandling sign. 

Matt Black 2024

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Panhandling signs collected... 

Matt Black 2018

USA. El Paso, Texas. 2018. Downtown. 

Matt Black 2024

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Panhandling signs collected... 

Matt Black 2017

PUERTO RICO. Toa Baja. 2017. Guard dog. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Miami, Arizona. 2018. Downtown. 

Matt Black 2014

USA. Teviston, California. 2014. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Exeter, California. 2018. Card. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Brownsville, Texas. 2015. Flash card. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Portsmouth, Ohio. 2019. Pliers. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Pomona, California. 2018. Comb. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Detroit, Michigan. 2020. Barrette. 

Matt Black 2024

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Discarded gloves photographed... 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Van Horn, Texas. 2018. Cigarette pack. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Luning, Nevada. 2018. Cigarette pack. 

Matt Black 2023

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Discarded cigarette packs... 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Blythe, California. 2020. Alleyway. 

Matt Black 2023

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Discarded cigarette packs... 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Brownsville, Texas. 2018. Downtown. 

Matt Black 2017

USA. Drew, Mississippi. 2017. Salvaging bricks. 

Matt Black 2017

USA. Postville, Iowa. 2017. Downtown. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Gallup, New Mexico. 2018. Nail. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Harlan, Kentucky. 2015. Lock. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Pomona, California. 2018. Playing card. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Gallup, New Mexico. 2018. Drawing. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Blythe, California. 2020. Sign. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Blythe, California. 2020. Sign. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Los Angeles, California. 2018. Shoe. 

Matt Black 2017

Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. 2017. Shoe. 

Matt Black 2024

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Graffiti photographed by... 

Matt Black 2019

USA. Calexico, California. 2019. Cigarette pack. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Farmington, New Mexico. 2018. Bottle. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Farmington, New Mexico. 2018. Bottle. 

Matt Black 2024

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Discarded liquor bottles... 

Matt Black 2019

USA. Sanders, Arizona. 2019. Roadside. 

Matt Black 2024

USA. Multiple locations. 2014-2020. Discarded liquor bottles... 

Matt Black 2013

USA. Mendota, California. 2013. Guard dog. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. El Centro, California. 2020. Homeless encampment. 

Matt Black 2019

USA. Denmark, South Carolina. 2019. Wall calendar. 

Matt Black 2019

USA. Inez, Kentucky. 2019. French fry container. 

Matt Black 2018

USA. Georgetown, Georgia. 2018. Bottles. 

Matt Black 2020

USA. Binghamton, New York. 2019. Crutch. 
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