Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard is a graduate of the International Center of Photography’s Photojournalism and Documentary Studies Program. Her work has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, The New York Historical Society, The International Center of Photography, Capricious, Powerhouse Gallery and has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and New York Magazine. She is the photo editor of the Diner Journal and lives in Brooklyn. Today we share Julia’s wonderful series titled American Holidays.

American Holidays

American Holidays is a series of pictures that I have been working on since 2007. In this work I use the occasion of holidays to look at how we gather, celebrate and mark tradition in American culture.

There is a certain anxiety and emotional weight to holidays that is unlike other “normal” days. I am drawn to the tension and humor, simplicity and strangeness, joy and melancholy that is uniquely present on these days. In looking at what we consume, how we act, what we wear and the places we meet, my goal is to be present for the off moments, to see contemplation and calmness in the fervor.

To view more of Julia Gillard’s work please visit her website.