The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own. I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before. In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find. Please DO NOT send me your work. I do not take submissions.
Today’s featured artist: Jennifer MacNeill
The farm auction project grew from childhood memories of attending the liquidation sale of my stepfather’s family dairy farm and my current interest in local history and desire to gain entry into old barns and homes that surround me in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We have some of the richest farmland in the United States and so often our farms are being replaced with housing developments, warehouses, and shopping centers.
When I started working on the project in 2021, I had little idea that the private worlds I would gain entry into would be filled with so much mystery and tinged with sadness. Many of these auctions are used to settle the estate for a farmer who has passed. They lived a hidden life many of us never even think about.
There is a secret thrill in exploring these old houses and barns with little restriction. Studying the architecture, disrepair, and personal belongings to learn about the history of the area in properties dating back well over a hundred years. Mingling with auction-goers and engaging in conversation to further investigate the lives of the people who once lived there, to get a sense of who they were.
Through my images I seek to piece together clues showing how the farm owners lived, the process and people that attend these auctions, and visually preserve a vanishing history.
To see more of this project, click here
APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration advertising and in-house corporate industry for decades. After establishing the art-buying department at The Martin Agency, then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies, she decided to be a consultant in 1999. Follow her at @SuzanneSease. Instagram