Posted on June 24, 2024 (Edit)
Sandy Hill‘s charming portrayal of quirky and sometimes surreal world of yard decorations across New England and New York are not simply a light-hearted invitation to see yards as canvases for personal and cultural expression. As the artist notes, they are also windows into the lives of those who create them.
We had the opportunity to talk to the artist about her project, American Lawn Decor, currenly on view in our exhibition Vision(ary), on view through Septemver 15, 2024.
Sandy Hill grew up in a small town in Northeastern Ohio. The natural beauty as well as the rustic farms in the area provided the inspiration for her interest in photography. In fact, her first newspaper cover was taken at one of these farms and later a significant photography project revolved around an old family farm in upstate New York while she studied Documentary Photography at RIT.
Hill was a photographer for several daily newspapers and a wire service in the greater Boston area. She was also a public relations photographer for the University of Rochester. She had a solo exhibit in winter of 2021/2022 at The Griffin Museum of Photography called “The Gift”.
Her work has been included in multiple juried exhibits including several by the Griffin Museum and The Curated Fridge. The South X Southeast Gallery, The Southeast Center for Photography, Lenscratch, RIT Honor Show, and The Center for Fine Art Photography have also included her photographs in exhibits.
Her current work in portraiture has grown out of her interest in illustrating the stories of different people and learning about different cultures as well as a curiosity about others.
Website: https://sandyhillphoto.com/work
Instagram: @sandy_hill_photography
American Lawn Decor
After a tumultuous year filled with isolation and conflict I decided to search for the innocence and optimism that I’ve always associated with our country, even as we hold different views, beliefs or backgrounds. I found signs of this in the joy of yards adorned with unique decorations. The many different perspectives on what constitutes beauty or humor continue to intrigue and draw me to a door to find out who lives or works there. Rarely have the residents turned down my request for a quick portrait, and they stand with dignity and pride, humor or mystery, near a fictional world created for us to enjoy.
My intention was to avoid judgment. Rather I felt the need to search for a connection to people who share my country, and regardless of beliefs, views or background chose to celebrate life during a pandemic and beyond.
I continue to work on this project and I hope to extend the area I cover beyond the New England and New York regions.
This work was inspired by a desire to renew my own hopes and optimism for our country by looking beyond the headlines and finding a positive commonality. It is also my hope that these photographs can perhaps help us realize that we can find connections even during times that seem to be driving us apart.
We can find ways to appreciate one another even if it’s something as simple as a lawn decoration.
What inspired you to create this project, and how do you personally connect to your work? What you hope to get out of it and grow as an artist.
I was inspired to start these portraits during Covid as a way to step away from social media and television’s perspective of our population, and to connect with people (while masking and safely distancing). It gradually morphed into a project about finding something positive to focus on in others instead of differences and flaws. I hoped to regain some optimism for our country and humanity. I grew to recognize that we need to find ways to get past differences and headlines and find ways to connect to others even as they hold different opinions and backgrounds.
What type of camera and gear do you bring most often with you during these series?
My Nikon usually, or sometimes a little Olympus I keep with me for spontaneous shots
How do you think or hope these photographs will impact its viewers?
Ideally, I really hope they help viewers to step away from the hate, anger and judgement so prevalent in our times, and recognize the joy of humanity in others. I feel it is so important for our country to figure out how to overcome the divisiveness and remember how to talk to one another with respect, and maybe a start would be appreciating something as simple as creativity with lawn decor. This is also just a small attempt to celebrate something light and fun during dark times.
Which three photographs of this series personally speak the most volume to you as the photographer and what in your mind makes a good photograph?
I think what defines a photograph that I feel good about taking includes something beyond just the surface appeal. It can vary widely from news images to street photography, fine art and documentary. Ultimately I know it when I see it or feel an emotional response to it.
1. The woman by the fence:
2. The man with the Statue of Liberty because of the uniqueness of the decor and his obvious pride:
3. The woman with the flamingos was very kind to let me photograph her. She’d recently suffered a terrible loss and the flamingos were connected to that. So that image speaks to me of loss, love and strength during hard times. It is what I consider the strongest image because of the resilience and love I see in it. I feel it speaks to the times and what we need now more than ever
