Walker Pickering: The States Project: Nebraska

Walker Pickering: The States Project: Nebraska by Bradley PetersMarch 18, 2016

©Walker Pickering

I first met Walker Pickering in 2014 when he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska to teach at my alma mater. We both lived in Austin, TX at the same time and recently discovered that we both worked in the same shopping center for two years without a chance encounter. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting Walker in person, you’ll be struck by his warm, personable personality and his love for queso. His current project showcases his eye for precision, unity in form, and a splash of surrealism. Marching bands are loud, static, and performative by nature but many of Pickering’s images are hushed, still, and introspective. It’s this tension combined with his subtle descriptions of heartfelt devotion that keeps me looking.

Walker Pickering is an artist and educator from Texas, now living in the Midwest. He is an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he has taught photography, time-based media, and photographic bookmaking since 2014. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, and is included in a number of private and public collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Wittliff Collection of Southwestern & Mexican Photography. He is the recipient of the 2013 Clarence John Laughlin Award.

Esprit de Corps

In the United States every spring, young musicians travel to cities throughout the country for several weekend training camps. They are 21 years or younger and are members of elite marching organizations known as Drum & Bugle Corps. Their summers are filled with non-stop travel via bus, full-day rehearsals and marching practice, and very little time alone. They compete and bond through an activity that is at once unknown by much of the general public yet beloved by their many fans. As summer draws to a close, high school and college marching bands begin their own summer band camps in preparation for a season of football halftime performances and fall competitions.

The majority of marching arts participants are between 14 and 22 years of age. This range often represents the most awkward and complex time in a young person’s life. They develop lasting friendships, first loves, and passions for a variety of interests. Many aspects of their lives are in constant flux. Connecting music to physical activity, along with a sense of camaraderie, empowers individuals who may have otherwise been aimless and isolated.