Western Spirit Museum

Photography Exhibition - Basketball

Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

Incredibly thrilled to announce a new exhibition of my American Backcourts series at the Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. Not only is it a honor for me, but I also see it as a big win for the sport of basketball to be featured this way in a western museum. I love the American West so much and have been working on this basketball photography series all over the country for about 13 years now. So to have the game celebrated in place where most people never associate the two, is quite gratifying! If you’re in the area, please stop by to see the show as well as the other incredible exhibitions they have throughout the museum. I particularly enjoyed seeing William Matthews work in person. I’ve been a fan of his for a while now and have enjoyed seeing his work in books, but nothing compares to seeing it in real life.

More from the press release:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., August 22, 2024 –  Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West announced today the opening of the upcoming exhibition Rob Hammer: American Backcourts, which will be on view from August 26, 2024, through April 13, 2025. This exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the New West by showcasing the distinctive relationship between basketball and the Western United States through the lens of acclaimed photographer Rob Hammer.

American Backcourts presents a stunning collection of images that capture the essence of basketball in the West—where the sport, though not traditionally associated with the region, embodies the pioneering spirit that defines the American West. Over 13 years and 300,000 miles, Hammer has traversed the Western United States, documenting rustic and makeshift basketball courts that tell the stories of resilience, ingenuity, and the enduring love of the game.

Inspired by a photograph of NBA legend Larry Bird’s childhood hoop in French Lick, Indiana, Hammer’s journey reveals how even the simplest setups can nurture greatness. His work showcases the raw beauty of handmade hoops crafted from whatever materials are at hand, placed in environments as diverse as the Western landscape itself—on dirt, grass, clay, and gravel. These images reflect the love of basketball and the resourceful and indomitable spirit that has come to define the West.

Click here to check out limited edition basketball prints from this series

Photography exhibition at the Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona

American Center for Photographers

American Photography Gallery

Fine Art

May has really shaped up to be a great month in the gallery exhibition category! I’m very grateful to announce that I’ll be showing some of my American photographs at the American Center for Photographers in Wilson, North Carolina. It’s always nice to show work, but this is particularly exciting because it’s the first time I’ve ever exhibited work from this series which started over 13 years ago. Back in 2011 is when my cross country road trips began but the photographs that now make up this series were sort of an after thought. At that time I was solely focused on the Barbershops of America series. So these American photographs were sort of just made during those in-between times when there were no barbershops around. It was years until I even realized that the collective images could be a body of work.

The exhibition which is comprised of 50+/- fine art prints will run from May 1st-26th. So if you’re anywhere near Wilson, please stop in and check them out.

Click here to see photographs from my America series.

Photography exhibition at the American Center for Photographers in Wilson, North Carolina