Observer: The Street Photographs of Norman S. Carr

Observer: The Street Photographs of Norman S. Carr presents the photographic work of Norman S. Carr, who began making photographs in 2000 after a 40-year career as a lawyer. Drawn to the visual possibilities of street life, Carr photographed Washington, DC, as well as locations throughout the United States and abroad, looking for images that expressed both the distinctive character and shared human experience of each place.

The exhibition traces the development of Carr’s photographic style. His early black-and-white images, made from 2000 through 2004, explore the spatial and emotional complexity of reflections, producing layered scenes with echoes of Cubism and Surrealism. From 2005 onward, he concentrated primarily on color, using light and hue with a painterly sense of expression. Together, the photographs transform ordinary streets, encounters, and moments into complex studies of place, perception, and everyday life.

When: September 5–December 6, 2026

Venue: American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

Artist: Norman S. Carr

Curator: Carolyn Kinder Carr

Presented by: The Alper Initiative for Washington Art

Tickets: Free

Works: The exhibition includes black-and-white photographs created between 2000 and 2004, along with later color photographs that explore the expressive effects of light and hue.

Featured work: Norman S. Carr’s *Rest—Miami Beach, Florida* (2003), a gelatin silver print measuring 19 by 13¼ inches.