ARTIST STATEMENT
Art is life ....
Humanity, the human race, the act of simply being human, the art of living, the canvas of life inspires me. These factors fuel my passion for capturing the social, cultural, political and historical aspects of life, the human condition and the spirit of the times.
Cosette Richard
BIOGRAPHY
Cosette Richard is a freelance Getty Images photojournalist and contributor from New Orleans who has conducted extensive research and fieldwork on post Katrina New Orleans art, culture, lifestyle and entertainment. Cosette Richards' photography has been presented as a call for art, featured exhibitions, curated exhibitions, a standing exhibition, published in the book, "The Way I See It ... photographers who capture the soul of New Orleans" and published in New Orleans tourism literature. Cosette Richard has been featured in the New Orleans Advocate, Where Y'At Magazine and on the WBOK Radio Broadcast Real Talk for Real Times as a human rights activist, artist and photojournalist.
In 2018, during New Orleans commemoration of its' historic 300th birthday Cosette Richard Photography was featured in numerous art exhibitions and art festivals including, "New Orleans Beyond Tomorrow: Community, Culture, Commerce", "Maafa: Creativity, Faith, Tradition and Resilience" and The Rent Is Too Damn High".
PRESS
"photographs by Cosette Richard, whose composition and restraint recall the Harlem Renaissance portraiture and street photography of James Van Der Zee"
The New Orleans Advocate
April 17, 2018
WORKS IN PROGRESS
United States of Emergency
We The People
FAVORITE Quotes
The subject matter is so much more important than the photographer.
Gordon Parks
Despite the variety of my explorations, throughout it all it has been my contention that my responsibility as an artist is to work, to sing for my supper, to make art, beautiful and powerful, that adds and reveals; to beautify the mess of a messy world, to heal the sick and feed the helpless; to shout bravely from the rooftops and storm barricaded doors and voice the specifics of our historic moment.
Carrie Mae Weems
Observe the life moving like a river around you and realize that the images you make become part of the collective history of the time that you are living in.
Eli Reed
There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment. This kind of photography is realism. But realism is not enough – there has to be vision, and the two together can make a good photograph.
Robert Frank