Annie Gough is currently a graphic design and photography double major, with a minor in book arts at Maryland Institute College of Art. My artistic practice consists of themes of nature and identity, and the overlap of these concepts; how nature and environment influence personal and public relations. These themes develop in the process of thinking about how a work needs to exist in the world; how does the work itself interact with its surroundings and viewers. I work interdisciplinary in my methods of actualizing a work into a physical form. Recently, these practices have included constructing artists’ books, screen printing, and traditional photography methods such as cyanotype, Van Dyke Brown, and silver gelatin. My graphic design work is always prevalent in informing the decisions that are made when organizing, structuring, and composing works.
As a double major in graphic design and photography, with a minor in book arts, my work is based on the belief that art has the transformative power to challenge perceptions, activate change, and bring attention to the most urgent issues we face today. The vision informing my creative practice is anchored in aspects of my identity and personal experiences, as well as learning the most effective way of using techniques and materials to convey these ideas. As I work, I think about what the material states and amplifies about the work, how and what it provides to a particular piece, and how an audience will interact with the given project. Through my lens and design work, I seek to document and amplify often overlooked voices, raise awareness about environmental challenges, and ultimately create visual narratives that encourage social change. These themes are not just concepts to be explored through my work; they are the stories of people and places that must be told and seen.
