Screenshot via campaign video

Photographer William Lemke has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for his proposed book Aging Gratefully: Portraits of Deadheads, Then and Now, and Their Stories. 

The image-based project began in 1985 when Lemke pulled into Midwest Dead lots and set up a makeshift photo background using a tie-dye sheet to capture portraits of the counterculture participants, using black and white film to evoke a sense of documentation. 

For over five years, 150+ images sat in Lemke’s so-called vault until one of his subjects reached out about a photo Lemke had taken of a father and daughter. This led to an updated shot and cemented concept for the project, Deadheads then and now. 

The photographer contacted Grateful Dead historian and musician David Gans to help collect stories to accompany the photographs. According to the video, which explains the intent behind the project and its current status, financial assistance is needed in order to see the project through. 

Those who back the project will receive a hardback, hand-signed edition of the book in the fall, and potential for other premium items: photos of band members and an image of the Great Pyramid [the Grateful Dead performed at the base of the historic location in 1978]. 

Learn more about the project and donate at kickstarter.com.