Skip to main content
Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Back-road photos: Photographer Michele Munyak has eye for what’s left behind

"The Last Load" was shot along Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail on a trip to Ely's Mill in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Michele Munyak spotted this old, rusted Dodge left abandoned with a load of barnwood still in its bed.
"The Last Load" was shot along Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail on a trip to Ely's Mill in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Michele Munyak spotted this old, rusted Dodge left abandoned with a load of barnwood still in its bed.

By Susan Pierce 3 min read

photo An abandoned school bus rusts in a creek in “Bridge Out,” shot in Cedar Key, Fla.

If you go

› What: Vintage Across America photography exhibit› Where: Artcrafters, 1356 Market St., Dayton, Tenn.› Store hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays Feb. 7-16; closed Sundays and Mondays› Admission: Free› Information: 423-775-1401

Michele Munyak has an eye for rural nostalgia.

Those weather-beaten barns that look like a stiff breeze could obliterate them or rust-eaten antique trucks that make you consider when you last had a tetanus shot aren’t roadside debris to her. They are little slices of Americana; history that is gradually disappearing in a tech-savvy age.

Munyak’s hobby is photographing these back-road landscapes across rural America. A collection of her photos, “Vintage Across America,” will be displayed at Artcrafters in Dayton, Tenn., beginning Tuesday and continuing through Feb. 16.

Dianne Knappen, who owns Artcrafters with husband Dennis, says their goal is to feature artists each month on the walls of their business to give them exposure to the local arts community. This will be Munyak’s second exhibit at Artcrafters.