American Mosaic

• Photographer
  Melissa Lynn, United States
• Studio
  Melissa Lynn Photography
• Website
  http://melissalynnphoto.com
• Instagram
  https://www.instagram.com/melissa_lynn_photography

My American Mosaic series celebrates America’s rich multicultural
heritage. The photographs were taken at cultural festivals in
America, where heritage and traditions are taught, celebrated and
remembered. I have attended hundreds of multicultural
celebrations to find the subjects in this series, all of whom are
proudly wearing their own ethnic dress. I believe America is a
young country that can benefit from the wisdom of myriad
cultures and age-old traditions as we try to build a pluralistic
society.

My goals for the project are to capture the beauty of diverse
cultures and to inspire empathy and understanding towards
people of different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. I am also
trying to preserve the past by documenting traditional customs
passed down through many generations. I have tried to capture
both a historical and contemporary portrait of American identity
with the hope that it creates a deeper understanding of who we are as a nation.

After more than a decade in New York City working as a professional documentary and portrait photographer, I now live in Denver, Colorado where I continue to pursue my artistic passions as a fine art photographer. My current projects explore multiculturalism, heritage, and identity. My interest in other cultures grew from my own experience as a Caucasian-American woman who is married to an Indian man. My husband and I are raising our daughter to appreciate the beauty of her multicultural heritage.

Awards 11th Pollux Awards-Portrait category-Winner 2018
11th Pollux Awards-People category-Honorable Mention 2018
11th Pollux Awards-Daily Life and Culture-Finalist 2018
Tokyo Foto Awards-Fine Art Portrait-Honorable Mention 2017