January 2014
Artist’s Statement
Ultimately, I make pictures for myself – a search for my own truths. To make some kind of sense of these diverse, rich with life, divisive, greedy, thoughtful, and generous people who inhabit the places we call home. When I photograph, I often think, if only common ground can be found, if I can establish a trust with the subject of my picture, then perhaps that relationship can be communicated to a viewer. And if it can, then maybe that viewer will be challenged in a long-held belief, or come away with some fresh understanding of their own world. But mostly I hope the photographs will prompt openness and encourage people to be receptive to the shared experience of being human.
Biography
Rob Amberg’s photographs and writing from the rural south have been published and exhibited internationally. He has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Center for Documentary Studies, Alternate Roots, and the National Endowment for the Arts; and his work is included in numerous permanent collections. His books include: Sodom Laurel Album, 2002, which received the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award from the Western North Carolina Historical Association; Quartet: Four North Carolina Photographers, 2007; The Living Tradition: North Carolina Potters Speak, 2009; and The New Road: I-26 and the Footprints of Progress in Appalachia, 2009. Amberg lives in Madison County, North Carolina.
