Bored and Confused, Arianna Clatterbuck and Natalie Tranelli 2010

Artist Statement

Art is about every day life, the connection to our selves and each other – it involves real people – and therefore, communicates something about the human experience.  As a photographer and an accountable artist, not only do I want to depict that reality, but I have a responsibility to that reality.

In collaboration, the subject and I, use the camera as an inclusive vehicle.  We begin our conversation using the viewfinder and ultimately it is the frame capturing the visual representation of the subject as I see them and as they see themselves.  This approach takes the art making from an esoteric exercise to subject-owned image making.

Art should involve the merging of our experiences while exchanging ideas.  This sharing is where the spark begins, as well as learning about one another’s insights.  Language and images merge together into authentic communication.  This is my role as a community artist.