Growing up as the only child of a single mother, I have never felt like I had much of a family. I feel as though I was robbed of an essential aspect of life at a tender age, and subsequently left with a lingering absence. By examining what was, what is, and what's been left behind, this body of work aims to piece together the fragments of a family that once was, if ever so briefly, and look at what remains after death, distance, and destruction. The empty frame represents the loss of family and not exactly having a family to frame a photo of.

Jennifer Angell, Lonn Angell This diptych is a old photo of my father and I paired with a recreation to represent loss.

Jennifer Angell, Lonn Angell A diptych of an old photo of my father and I paired with a recreation to represent loss and passing of time.

Jennifer Angell, Lonn Angell A diptych of an old photo of my father paired with a self portrait to represent loss and passing of time.

Birthday Baloon, Lauren Bina. My project displays images of objects that I was able to find comfort in through my childhood. Each object represents a certain time in my life where I was able to find happiness. I have paired these objects with images of myself as a child. Due to certain circumstances, it was difficult for me to have a happy childhood. Most of the images that I was able to find of myself as a child show an unsatisfied little girl. I wanted to contrast these moments with the objects that I was able to find some joy in.

Green Blanket, Lauren Bina

Dance Uniform, Lauren Bina, Unknown Dancers

Christmas Book, Lauren Bina

My focus was my LARP family and close friends. (Kevin Whiteneir, Sal D'Agostino)

Hanging out before the LARP battle begins.(Travis Muller)

LGBT couples are posed like mannequins to challenge societies views of beauty and what a family is. Emily Cheever and Hayley Dow

LGBT couples are posed like mannequins to challenge societies views of beauty and what a family is. Karlie Fritz and Grace Sacher

One of the oldest forms of identification through cultural tradition is body modification; in the present modifications of many styles are becoming ever more common, whether it be simple piercings or tattoos, or possibly more intricate large work and more complex modifications such as implants, scarification, or piercing stretching. As time continues more and more people from many walks of life are becoming modified in whatever unique way suites them best and as these people continue along their journey of modification a culture forms between the people. An unspoken bond tied together with the simple fact of shared experience. Nate Garrett- Gamer

Alyx Welch- Book Fanatic

Harley Hotchkiss- Glass Artist

Justin Collins- Photographer

Family and life is about one thing for me, comfort. In my eyes life is nothing with out family. Family is comfort and every day comfort is changing. Family is constantly dieing. I believe everyday is an exploration in finding family.( Adventure starts at a young age, it never goes away but takes different forms) _Mike Vance

Sharing is comfort.(left to right) _Addy Cota_LaVonne Cota

A family can settle(left to right around the table)_Adry Cota_LaVonne Cota_Ron Cota_Loren Cota_Lisa Cota_Addy Cota

Experince is nothing with out sharing._Adry Cota

Working on photo shoots - Adry Cota. Family to me means those people who you willing spend your time with, whether the memories to come from these times are good or bad.

Deep discussions - Sarah Jacobson and Derek Doescher.

Playing video games - Joey Woldt, Josh Anderson, Dewayne Roberts, and Brady Woldt.

Project Summary: For this project I am documenting my brother in order to change my perception of him, my family, the world around me, and most importantly myself. I tend to see my brother as the ìfavoriteî child in my family, which alters my perception of him and often keeps me from seeing the talented and driven individual he is. His entire life is centered on music; he is involved in every musical extracurricular available, is self-taught on a great number of instruments, and composes music. Through the course of this project I have come to realize the treatment he receives, perceived as favoritism, is the result of him making all of his choices in life based upon what he loves to do and what makes him happy as opposed to what is the right or safest thing to do. This image of my brother, Mitchell Donahue, expresses how I used to view him. I never quite paid much attention to him or fully saw all of who he is.

The clarinet is one of the many insturments Mitchell has taught himself to play for no other reason than the fact that he could.

Since Mitchell works as hard as he does and is constantly going, he doesn't take any time to rest. He falls asleep on the couch most nights while doing his homework or composing new music.

My father received his service dog, Lola, several years after coming home from Afghanistan with a heart attack, cancer and severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While my family has struggled adjusting to a life with my father's PTSD after serving in six deployments, Lola's service to him and our family has brought us closer together than we have been in years.

Eric and Lola.

Eric worn out from shoveling half of the driveway.

Eric and Lola at the hardware store.

Pieces of the Family Puzzle: Family is a group of people with different interests and personalities, but much like the pieces of a puzzle, they fit together to create something beautiful. Family Portrait #1 Pictured: Savanah, Kathryn, Jennifer, Jillene, Thomas, James, and Madison Jacobs. Not Pictured: Zachariah and Allyson Jacobs. In this portrait, the family is scattered across the frame much like the pieces of a puzzle, not put together, but clearly all pieces to the same puzzle.

Pictured: Madison Jacobs. Madison, like most teenagers, spends most of her time on her cell phone.

Pictured: Savanah Jacobs (left), James Jacobs (center) and Allyson Jacobs (right). James, the father of this family, is often doing the background work that goes unnoticed.

Many that were part of my family, are not longer here today. My brother, Zachariah David Strain, was my big brother. I am sad that now no one will know who he was, excpet for what I tell them. My mother, Diana Strain, knows him the best since she raised him from his birth, and had been there for him, even when he was born and the doctors told her he wouldn't survive for 24 hours. He survived for 21 years. Alyana Vrieze had been the one that loved him the most out of all our cousins. She went to prom with him, and it has been hard for her just as much as it has my mother. It's been hard for my whole family to not have him anymore. I am just happy to know that he taught me to smile. I've had a large family all my life. Only because of them I have become the person who I am today. They are always there for me and, sometimes drive me crazy, I know they love me and I love them just as much.

Many that were part of my family, are not longer here today. My brother, Zachariah David Strain, was my big brother. I am sad that now no one will know who he was, excpet for what I tell them. My mother, Diana Strain, knows him the best since she raised him from his birth, and had been there for him, even when he was born and the doctors told her he wouldn't survive for 24 hours. He survived for 21 years. Alyana Vrieze had been the one that loved him the most out of all our cousins. She went to prom with him, and it has been hard for her just as much as it has my mother. It's been hard for my whole family to not have him anymore. I am just happy to know that he taught me to smile. I've had a large family all my life. Only because of them I have become the person who I am today. They are always there for me and, sometimes drive me crazy, I know they love me and I love them just as much.

Zander Strain was excited about his new trucks that he got for his birthday. He had to play with them. I was lucky to get a photograph of him playing and am happy that whenever I look at this image I can hear him making the car noises. I've had a large family all my life. Only because of them I have become the person who I am today. They are always there for me and, sometimes drive me crazy, I know they love me and I love them just as much.

I had convinced my brother, Zeb Strain, to let me take pictures of his sons. Since it was a nice day and before it closed I had convinced him to create a leaf pile. The leaf blower was the quickest for them to create the pile before the day disappeared. Zander Strain, my first and oldest nephew, had to get the leaves blown on him. I've had a large family all my life. Only because of them I have become the person who I am today. They are always there for me and, sometimes drive me crazy, I know they love me and I love them just as much.

Donald Vance (right) listens to his wife Elizebeth (left) talk during a family get together. Family for me is a bond of shared experiences. These are shared between people that we are related to and people around us that share these experences with us.

My grandmother Carol Swanson (left) and my great aunt Mary Emerson (right).

Meghan Walsh (left), Sarah Nix (middle), Corey Walsh (right). Stillwater, Minnesota.