POP 66: Pop can pinhole photos of Route 66
In March of 1998 I built thirty-three pinhole cameras from sixty-six soda cans and set out on the Mother Road from Los Angeles to Chicago. On the very first day I had a serendipitous encounter with TV cowboy stars Roy Rogers and Dale Evans — and made their portrait using the cans. I’ve been at it ever since, documenting life along the route for nearly thirty years.
Over time I’ve come to see Route 66 as two things: an iconic shorthand for nostalgic Americana and a landscape that becomes more complicated the deeper you look. Changing attitudes about race, the treatment of Native Americans, repeated wars, the ecological disaster of the Dust Bowl, and the story of the Okie Exodusters (my relatives) are just a few of the histories embedded in the road and in my archive.
This project has evolved into both a book and an exhibition (details below). With 2026 (and 2027) marking the 100th anniversary of Route 66, I’m hoping to find an exciting venue to share the work at least one more time.
RECENT EXHIBITION
Route 66: Alternative Perspectives, Coconino Center for the Arts, Flagstaff, 2025. A dual exhibition paired with Edward Keating’s Main Street project.
Press: Arizona Daily Sun; Arizona Family TV; Images Arizona (see pages 35-37: HERE); Route 66 News; Fox 12 Oregon; Festival of Science workshop
Instagram: Intro; opening; closing; pinhole workshop; personal recap
PAST SHOWS
Sosta, Flagstaff, 2025; THE ROOM, Venice Biennale, 2021; Fairlane, Portland, 2019; George S. Turnbull Center, Portland, 2017; Craft Chemistry, Syracuse, 2010; Corrosive Gallery, Chicago, 2005; Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle, 2002
BOOK
Pope, Wes. Pop 66: A Dreamy Pop Can Camera Odyssey Along Route 66. Press Syndication Group, December 2018. Contact Wes directly to purchase.
Route 66 centennial exhibition available: 55+ images matted with glass. The show includes VR elements viewable on mobile via QR codes. Inquiries: w e s @ w e s p o p e . c o m
