Shannon Johnstone
Exhibit at WakeMed
Exhibit at WakeMed
Mary Shannon Johnstone
Lost Dreams and Tall Tales
The exhibit is at the WakeMed Raleigh Campus, 3000 New Bern Avenue and will be up through October 2, 2008.
Artist Statement
I have been taking photographs of my family since I was 13, when I got my first camera from a Happy Meal®. I used that camera everyday to photograph my family and friends in an effort to remember what my life was like, afraid I would forget who I was. I felt a need to record my famiy, my history and my voice. This drive is the foundation for the photographic work.
It began at my sister's wedding four years after my parents separated. It was the first time we had all be together since the separation. I watched the wedding photographer, who was oblivious to the tension, pose and position my family removing any trace of awkwardness. I worried that only his version would be remembered, and the raw uncomfortable emotions would be glossed over and then buried. In response, I began to photograph my family, focusing on exchanges and expressions that would be edited out of most people's cameras. I continue this work any time my family gathers (namely holidays, weddings, and funerals). As the name suggests, Lost Dreams and Tall Tales embraces these sad, awkward moments and revels in exaggerating family myths and traditions. With these images I hope to create an alternative family album complete with heartache, disappointment, anger, sadness, support, and love.
It began at my sister's wedding four years after my parents separated. It was the first time we had all be together since the separation. I watched the wedding photographer, who was oblivious to the tension, pose and position my family removing any trace of awkwardness. I worried that only his version would be remembered, and the raw uncomfortable emotions would be glossed over and then buried. In response, I began to photograph my family, focusing on exchanges and expressions that would be edited out of most people's cameras. I continue this work any time my family gathers (namely holidays, weddings, and funerals). As the name suggests, Lost Dreams and Tall Tales embraces these sad, awkward moments and revels in exaggerating family myths and traditions. With these images I hope to create an alternative family album complete with heartache, disappointment, anger, sadness, support, and love.
Biography
Mary Shannon Johnstone received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and MFA in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. She has had solo exhibitions in Chicago, Durham, Raleigh, and Rochester. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including three Best of Competition awards in the North Carolina Annual Photographers Exhibition. Her work has appeared in American Photo, Outdoor Photography, Popular Photography, and Peterson's PhotoGraphics. Her work was also selected by Algonquin Books as the cover image for "If You Want Me To Stay", a novel by Michael Parker. Most recently Johnstone was awarded a solo exhibition at the Durham Art Guild by NYC artist Petah Coyne. Johnstone is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Meredith College in Raleigh, and is represented by Points of View Gallery in Raleigh, NC, and Three Hounds Gallery in Wilmington, NC.
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