Justin Nolan’s photographs in Stages of Persuasion investigate commercial and themed spaces.  His images, shot at locations throughout the country, explore the powerful role that staged spaces can have in influencing human desires.  Idealized and explicit notions of nature, beauty, humor, and even fear are presented in many of the themed restaurants, stores, and amusement parks he has photographed.  A central focus of his work is how American identity is promoted, memorialized, and transmitted through consumer and ‘themed’ spaces.