Prejudice is like a hair across your cheek. You can’t see it, you can’t find it with your fingers, but you keep brushing at it because the feel of it is irritating.

-Marian Anderson

The quote above leads you to the topic of general prejudice of others unlike myself and the anxiety that follows along. Looking back, I never would have considered myself to have prejudice and as much anxiety as I do. That is until I had moved out of the comforts of my home, childhood friends, and dog. The adventure of attending Savannah College of Art and Design opened my eyes to people who were different colors, shapes, sexualities, genders, and nationalities. It was at this moment when I realized that I wasn’t completely comfortable with the thought of different people and pushing past my anxiety to meet them.

 

Having engaged in the experience of interacting with all kinds of people has pushed me in a positive direction with the making of these photographs. The presentation of photographs sized 3 x 4 pinned on a clothesline in a polaroid-like manner. The rows of people reflect the progression of voyeurism, getting closer, and the general interaction of meeting someone. The people were approached to be photographed while walking around state college.

The idea is that we all exist in this world and regardless of where we come from, what we look like, and who we may love that there is no reason to steer away from each other. The idea of having prejudice and anxiety that is crippling us from communicating with one another is sad. The world needs to do a better job of talking to each other instead of having our nose to the floor.

We may miss out on opportunities that we never had the chance to take.

“It’s the people who don’t recognize the racism within themselves that can be the most damaging because they don’t see it.” – Sterling K Brown

The quote above leads you to the topic of racism. The presentation of photographs sized 4 x 4 in a mounted grid touch on racism in all forms. Looking back I would have never considered myself racist until moving out of my comfort zone into Savannah, GA. The adventure of attending Savannah College of Art and Design opened my eyes to people who were different colors, shapes, sexualities, genders, and nationalities. At that moment I had realized that I wasn’t completely comfortable with people of color, transgender, and/or homosexual. That sparked a fault in myself which I wasn’t very fond of at all. Having engaged in the experience today of reaching out to all kinds of people has pushed me in a positive direction with these photographs. The subject matter reflects rows of people completing daily activities such as waking up, grabbing a coffee, grocery shopping, eating dinner, and sleeping(etc.) The people were at random and approached to be followed around during these tasks. All of these activities, for the most part, are universally shared. The idea is that we all exist in this universe and regardless of where we came from, what we look like, and who we may like that we complete these daily tasks. Therefore, we are one. Racism is an ugly trait that must be seen to be resolved. Overall, the photographs shed light on racism which is something that I feel strongly about.

Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus 2 

 

The photographs she produces are mostly black and white portraits which are very intimate. The range of subjects that she chooses was very diverse. They ranged from transgender, mentally ill, and circus performers. She was photographing the oddballs of society. A famous photographer is that of the identical twins titled exactly that. Since she was raised from a wealthy family it allowed her the freedom to have creative license. Her photographs had made it to Harpers Bazaar and Vogue. Her husband had ventured into the commercial photography with her after seeing an exhibition with Paul Strand(etc.). They transformed into fashion photographs working as a team. Her husband was a man she had met when she 13. Diane really played the role of a housewife after studio time cooking her kids and husband dinner. The commercial work had soon bored her which is why she drifted to the streets of NY. In the MOMA her photographs are next to the great Garry Winogrand. Diane Arbus had struggled with depression through a lot of her life. Unfortunately, she decided to take her own life in 1971. In 1972 after her death she was actually chosen to be the first photographer to represent the U.S. at the Vienne Biennale. Her works are featured today in the MOMA, National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., and LA museum of art just to name a few. Many people wonder if she was the most radical photographer during her time. As a person, Diane Arbus has girlish features with a shortcut. Her photographs seemed to intrigue me so much because she went from doing fashion photographer of the glamorous to the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Therefore, finding the unique people of society that don’t stand out too much but photographing them shed light on the differences in the world. It’s unfortunate that she had taken her life and didn’t continue to photograph.