Piero Ribelli: 50 Main Street. Same Address. Different People.

Aug 13

New Jersey: Prasop and Saowaluck Kiewdara, South River, NJ

New York based Piero Ribelli undertook a project of a lifetime in stretching his legs across the USA: 6 years, 50 towns, 50 people, 31,000 miles by plane, 16,000 miles by car, 12 hours on trains, 90 minutes on ferryboats. The people in his portraits share only one thing in common – their address of 50 Main Street. A Hasselblad enthusiast, Ribelli does manage to ‘paint’ more than just red, white and blue in his USA. Take a look.

Delaware: Falah Khatib, Newark, DE

North Carolina: Nancy Beasley, Waynesville, NC

Ohio: Mike Wires, Utica, OH

Louisiana: Donald and Dolores Franklin, LA

Washington: Pat Weekley, Coupeville, WA

Pennsylvania: Levi and Seth Freeburn, Leola, PA

Mississippi: Bertha Bridges, Grenada, MS

Georgia: Bob Miller, Alpharetta, GA

Connecticut: Cynthia Jones, New Britain, CT

California: George Sylva, Ventura, CA

Indiana: Jim Staples, Greenwood, IN

Florida: Janice Sheffield, High Springs, FL

North Dakota: Ivan Johnson, Mayville, ND

Arizona: Jack Ellwood, Mesa, AZ

Maine: Sheriry and Bobby Whear Nobleboro, ME

Tennessee: Lynn Scott, Saltillo, TN

Iowa: Karen Rubey, Fairfield, IO

Minnesota: Toni Speltz, Lewiston, MN

Colorado: Elaine Casedy, Keenensburg, CO

Illinois: Robert Sluyter, Carpentersville, IL

South Carolina: Hank Bridges, Jackson, SC

Vermont: Denise Smith, St. Albans, VT

South Dakota: Dennis and Don Lechner, Wagner, SD

New Mexico: Sheery Anaya and Joseph Arguello, Mosquero NM

Massachusetts: Angel Morales, M.D. West Springfield, MA

Share this! :)

Short Films: Je t’aime John Wayne (1991) and Inside Out (1999) Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarships, Canada. 2013-2014

19 Comments

Newest

Oldest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Leighton DC

13 years ago

something about the honesty in these pictures,,, contrast these with dishonest advertising photos

Roberta

13 years ago

Neil Young- Keep on rocking in a free world. :)

roy

13 years ago

luv the way how these characters leap out u know…

Kashmira

13 years ago

I have had photography classes, and I have done photography assignments in the past, nothing big. This is inspiring stuff!

Jersey Guy

13 years ago

Americana! Salute

Nilofer

13 years ago

I like the fact that not all of them are grinning and showing their teeth. You know, the all american smile courtesy Ryan Seacrest. :)

Rishabh

13 years ago

great idea for a photography project, I like the fact that he manages to capture both people and spaces around them , which are equally telling.

old man out of NJ

13 years ago

portraits are so revealing of character, and these are fine examples of wonderful portrait photo. ty.

Bidisha

13 years ago

i love the concept behind the project! but in India I think it will be very difficult to have the same address across the nation, we thrive in chaos ;)

shubha

13 years ago

these people leap out of their pics …. luv the idea.

Charlotte

13 years ago

lets see, I like Janice Sheffield and Jim Staples,,,, interesting exercise of who I will consider befriending.

Walter

13 years ago

Vermont! Denise Smith. Such a picture of contentment.

Martin

13 years ago

He shot all of these with a Hasselblad negative camera?

Author

13 years ago

Reply to Martin

That is what I could gather from his youtube space Martin. He mentions that for his main portrait work, it was a Hasselblad all the way.

13 years ago

the boxer is giving the deadly looks :)

Terry

13 years ago

I missed out Bruce Springsteen belting out Born in the USA in this one. :)

Jennifer Weber

13 years ago

What a unique and challenging project to take on! Looking at these pictures, it struck me how different and yet the same we all are. Makes me feel patriotic.