Dawn Kushner

About Dawn Kushner

My creative work delves into the phycological components of the human condition. When starting a new set of work, I begin with a feeling, scout locations, then, I map out sketches of how I would intend the final work to convey the said emotion. When I have a sketch set in stone, I set out to bring the world in my head into fruition through set design, posing, and careful mapping of lighting. By utilizing light and staging to unveil or shield content from the viewer my work displays a sense of separation and yet ‘all-too-well’ familiarity.

Biography

Dawn Kushner is an artist who works in various media, but her primary tool is photography. She creates work inspired by her experiences throughout her youth in Charleston, West Virginia to encompass the trials and tribulations of the human condition. Her work has been shown locally throughout Charleston and Huntington, WV, including in group exhibitions such as Printeraction and Lithography Showcase, as well as displayed in various juried exhibitions and published in the 2022 issue of Et Cetera, Marshall University’s literary magazine. For her work, she has received merit awards, juror’s choice awards, and fellowships to continue expanding her creative exploration. Dawn currently resides in Huntington, WV, pursuing a BFA in photography at Marshall University. Her most recent work explores the line between public perception and self-reflection and how that affects our ever-changing self-identity.