*

Exhibited April 26, 2022 - May 3, 2022

*

Freedom Project

* Exhibited April 26, 2022 - May 3, 2022 * Freedom Project

Driven by the concept of analyzing the meaning of freedom in America through the eyes of a family with a military legacy, my family. This body of work intimately exhibits a feeling of honor, legacy, tradition, loss, and freedom or lack thereof. Inspired by my family and our extensive history of service members dating back to before the Civil War is a intimate depiction of our so called freedom in America.

To begin this project, I conducted various interviews with immediate and extended family members from across the country in states to include Alabama, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Michigan, Connecticut, and Virginia. I asked a series of questions and received relatively similar answers to why they chose to join the military. Below are direct quotes on why they joined.

“I chose to join because of the numerous family members that were military and proud to be. What better feeling that serving your country?”

~ TSgt Haralson, U.S Air Force

“I joined the Army to make my dad mad that I didn’t join the Air Force. Also, because it was a stable job and everyone else in my family was military. Honorable to serve your country”.

~ Warrant Officer Mecklenburg, U.S Army

“I perceive my brothers all joined as it was engrained for men to join the military. It was honorable.

~ Sister of Warrant Officer Mecklenburg

I saw a pattern in speaking with everyone, I did it because everyone in my family did it and it is honorable to serve your country. I find this fascinating as I have had the same conversation with myself in choosing to go to college or join the military or both. However, to this day I choose not to. In addition to asking why they chose to join, I also asked for their definitions of Freedom and what it really means to them. Below are direct quotes of their definition of freedom.

“Freedom is most vital way of life (in the U.S), but can be lost or taken away from us if we are not willing to protect that from happening. We must protect our freedom, it’s what our nation was founded on”.

~ TSgt Haralson, U.S Air Force

“Freedom is the ability to choose your life. It gets taken for granted far too often. So go get your dream, people are dying for it.”

~ Sister of Warrant Officer Mecklenburg

In speaking with individual family members, I also found freedom to not consistently have a positive definition when taking the perspective of a service member. It is often defined by sacrifice, mental health issues, alcoholism, and drug abuse to cope with things they have seen or done during their service. This is all a part of it though, right? This is the legacy. This is freedom in the United States.