Common Threads - Senior Art Show

     Mary Margaret Johnson's photographs convey personal, intimate relationships and moments with people. By using platinum-palladium prints, the work is fragile in material, due to the material, and shows the precious... [ view full abstract ]

     Mary Margaret Johnson's photographs convey personal, intimate relationships and moments with people. By using platinum-palladium prints, the work is fragile in material, due to the material, and shows the precious tenderness of empathizing and sharing the moments and relationships. This work is the about recognition of others, being with one another. Contrasting the American life full of too many to-do lists, and individualist tendencies, these photographs convey a still moment while sharing space and simply being with one another. This idea came from growing up going to a summer camp, studying abroad in Senegal, attending school in rural Appalachia and working extensively in Haiti; places that had a community that was not individually centered and functioned daily with the recognition of those who surrounded. These places provided the desire to explain the importance of being in each other’s presence, because relationships are complicated and difficult as well as a source of comfort and joy. The various tones rendered in these platinum-palladium prints show the complexity of these moments, exploring motifs in relationships: death, pain, community, love, trust, loss, and vulnerability.