Honorable Mention / 2016 / Fine Art / Other_FA

Beautiful Artifacts

I've been collecting old wedding gowns from thrift stores and
garage sales for years. When I’m lucky, I’ll discover a vintage
dress at an estate sale, tucked away in a closet for 50 or 60
years. These intricate, elaborate garments, so lovingly chosen,
so meticulously fitted and fussed over, flung on a blanket in
someone’s front yard or crammed between dusty formals at the
Goodwill. I wonder about the women who wore these gowns and
the lives that were lived since that single day fraught with so
much hope and anticipation: a beautiful artifact.

These images are from my book RIPE: The Essence of the Pregnant Nude