Liz Murphy Thomas

Artist Statement

The Florida the artist grew up with – featuring attractions like The Coral Castle, Bongoland, and Cypress Gardens - is fast disappearing, replaced with more and more housing developments and big-box chain hotels. Before the interstates laced across the state, highways such as US1 were one of the main access routes to Florida and many of these older attractions lie along these routes.

So much of living in a place designed for the purpose of selling itself to visitors is the sacrifice of nostalgia. The cute mom-and-pops motels and the roadside attractions, which hold fond memories for many in their region, just look run down and "old" to the tourists. For this reason, little stays the way it is; there is constant remodeling, a never-ending expansion, and steady development.

The artist’s work examines the impact on tourist economies as transit routes change. Before the US Interstate system came to Florida, much of the tourist economy was centered along highway US 1 and similar routes. Although most tourists now move through Florida via the interstates, the attractions, restaurants and hotels built along the highway are still there. Some thrive, while some are abandoned and repurposed. Focusing on sites along the older highways, the artist’s images document the region from the Florida/Georgia border down through Key West and show what has become of these once important routes.

The artist holds a BFA in Creative Photography from the University of Florida and an MFA in Photography and Digital Imaging from the Maryland Institute College of Art. The artist grew up in Daytona Beach, FL, an experience which in retrospect they attribute to their interest in photographing what they describe as “the conceptual histories of tourist sites and the broader sociological underpinnings of tourism.” Overall, the artist’s artwork investigates issues of identity, memory and the associations we give to places and personal possessions.

The artist’s work has been exhibited throughout the US and Europe and is represented in several permanent collections including the Southeast Museum of Photography. The artist currently lives and works full time in Northeast Florida where they are a Professor of Digital Media at Florida State College at Jacksonville.