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MUSEE / Interviews / Sara Greenberger Rafferty Sara Greenberger Rafferty’s photographs hit—or startle—the viewer with an emotional force that never seems to settle down. Her photos—primarily of food, women, actors, and comedians—exhibit a painterly quality. They are appropriated and manipulated, with such techniques as blurring and water splashing. The effect, in painting terms, is a combination of Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism. And the results are usually fascinating and unsettling. In the last 10 years, Rafferty’s work has been exhibited all over the United States, at dozens of galleries and museums. In New York, her work has graced the walls of the Museum of Modern Art P.S. 1., Gagosian Gallery, the Rachel Uffner Gallery, and many others. Rafferty spoke to Musée Magazine about her art, technique, inspiration, training in sculpture, and her views on grad school for young artists. By Dmitry Kiper
Q: At what age did you get into photography? And who were some of the photographers you admired? A: I first learned manual photography when I was about 6 or 7, at a local elementary school day summer camp called “Adventures in Learning.” We made pinhole cameras and learned how to operate 35 mm cameras and develop our own film and print black and white prints. It was kind of funny to spend those lovely summer days at that age in a basement darkroom. After that, when I was about 8, I got a beautiful Nikkormat camera and a few lenses from my parents. I sort of knew how to use it. I don’t remember knowing about photographers at that time, but when I was in high school, my favorites were Richard Avedon, Roy DeCarava, and, later, Nan Goldin. DeCarava’s picture of a black man in a dark window – from across the room it looks like a monochrome black picture – killed me. Q: After getting a BFA in photography from the Rhode Island school of design, you then went on to earn an MFA in sculpture from Columbia. Would you recommend grad school to young artists and photographers? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages? A: I think grad school is an individual choice. Certainly I don’t think you need an advanced degree to be a good artist. Some of the advantages include the connections you make among peers and faculty, the investment in two or three years of intense focus on your work, and official credentials to teach college. The main disadvantage is the cost, but that’s not the only negative. I think the whole model could be rethought and retooled while still being in dialogue with MFA programs of the past 40 years. There’s also a tendency to focus unfortunately on career over work among MFAs. And, especially, I think the division between media or discipline is increasingly becoming outmoded.
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