American Tradition
Living means leaving traces. Each event in our lives has permanence in our present and future lives. Looking closely at the spaces in which we live can show us how we, as Americans, maintain our individuality and remind us that we remain similar to others in many ways. Our histories and traditions are vivified and become vessels of memory fusing all facets of past and present identities. Certain aspects of my life can be defined within the African American tradition, but does that make those events more or less typically American? This work explores myths about how black and white American families are understood and perceived. With these photographs I am showing a glimpse into the life I live, placing the work in a setting where the viewers are able to consider their own family experiences in a more innovative context, raising the question can these photographs speak to perspectives about race, cultural diversity and what is traditionally American? In asking the viewer to relate their own lives to the images, I invite them to recognize their own preconceived ideas about race and what constitutes the American tradition.
