2022 Senior Exhibition Artists

Rachel Dufresne

Art + Design: Integrated Studio Arts

About Rachel Dufresne

Rachel Dufresne earned her BFA in Integrated Studio Art in 2022. She is a multimedia artist with concentrations in photography and design. She draws inspiration from the process of creating, inviting mistakes and chance into her work. After receiving her first 35mm film camera in high school, she began to photograph her friends and family in an attempt to capture the ephemeral moments in life.

Statement

Letting people into the quiet corners of my life is something new to me. I’ve spent a lot of time hiding from the people who care for me. I kept my head down in an attempt to reduce the anxiety I felt around socializing. I put up walls that kept out so many missed experiences.

l wanted so desperately to be involved in the lives of others but I felt overwhelmed by the scale of it all. In 2021 I began addressing my mental health and found ways to cope.

The moon has always been an important presence in my life. It has come to represent many things; the passage of time most importantly. I can look to the sky and see that the phases of the moon continually change. It gives me reassurance that all things, good and bad, will come and go. It took a long time to see the fruits of my labor. I realized that in order to have a good day, you have to face the bad days too.

I feel as though I'm always struggling to put feelings and thoughts into words but, maybe they're supposed to remain in that state. These photographs are an attempt at capturing the feeling of community I have built around myself over the past year. There are many friends, family, and strangers that support me and fill my life with color. By creating this highlighted world around the subjects of the photos, I create a new way of seeing. The subject stands out, apart from the background so I can slow down and be present with them. Being present is the single most important lesson I have learned thus far. If you are truly in each moment, life somehow becomes brighter.