Exhibition of modified US postcards portray beauty, chaos

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – An exhibition aims to portray America’s beauty alongside its environmental degradation and political polarization through an array of artistically altered postcards.

“David Opdyke: Paved with Good Intentions” holds its opening reception Friday at University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities. The piece features 528 vintage U.S. postcards that have been assembled into a mural that incorporates fires, tornadoes, intrusive pipelines, provocative messages, locust swarms and ravenous crows.

The entropic display comes apart at the base.

Curator Amanda Krugliak says in a release the work is a “wake-up call” that also “speaks to commitment and perseverance.”

The monthlong exhibition, which is free and open to the public, also features animation partly inspired by the work of Monty Python member Terry Gilliam.

The event includes a conversation with Opdyke, Krugliak and others.