The Fine Art of Family Magazine

As we embark on a New Year, it seems appropriate to reaffirm our mission in launching our e-magazine Fine Art of Family. Introduced nearly 90 days ago, our idea here is to examine the elements that I believe are common to all of us, but remain unexplored on so many levels.

It is the idea that within our lives we create memories every day and that those memories are most often articulated through the photographs we keep and the possessions that we have come to think of as our “heirlooms” and “collectibles.”

It is these same possessions—a card from a friend, the scent of grandma’s freshly baked apple pie, or your favorite song as a child—that remind us where we come from and what is important to us. How we surround ourselves with these things is the basis for my new book, due out this spring, called Living with What You Love.

For this reason our reoccurring column, My Heirloom, is one of my personal favorites. It lets me dive into the lives (or homes, as in the book) of interesting, well-known people to see how they live with the objects of their affection. With a camera in hand, I listen to people’s stories—about a plate (pictured on homepage), chair (pictured left), or ring—while photographing them with these items.

Each time I meet with a different person, like actor/director Tony Goldwyn (this week’s My Heirloom), I become more and more aware of how closely their experiences mirror our own and how we have all come to cherish similar “heirlooms” in our lives. Learning about the item and what it means to its owner makes it so much more personal, challenging, and fun to photograph them—another reason why I love this column! If you have any suggestions for who you would like to see us feature in this column, please Tell Us What You Think (below).

On this note, I recently read about a Christie’s auction of objects from a branch of the British Royal Family. It struck me that so many of the items were similar to what each of us might find at our own yard sales (if we were to hold one), such as a punch bowl, a picnic basket, a jewelry piece. We check out that Christie’s sale, which took place in London last fall, this week. Again the message is clear: We all find value and treasure in the same elements of our individual family histories.

xox,

M

[Photography by Monica Rich Kosann]

Published on January 4, 2010

Tags: Capturing, Celebrating, Family, Heirlooms, Monicas Blog, Sharing