Barbara Lubanski-Wenger

Artist Statement

I do not think of my work as collecting images. I think of it as bearing witness.
Whether I am working with photography, watercolor, acrylic, or mixed media, I am less interested in appearances than in presence. I hope each piece carries something that cannot be measured—a feeling, a memory, a question, an invitation to pause.
My background in anthropology, sociology, and psychology has shaped the way I observe the world. Rather than simply documenting a place or a person, I look for the emotional landscape beneath the surface: resilience, humor, vulnerability, mystery, and the dignity that exists in every human life. Years of photographing communities such as a Zen community and my non-profit, CommunityGrows, have deepened my appreciation for everyday moments as expressions of something universal.
The Japanese understanding of wabi-sabi has long been a companion, reminding me that beauty lives comfortably beside imperfection, impermanence, and the marks left by time. I have come to trust weathered surfaces, soft edges, unexpected juxtapositions, and the stories that quietly reveal themselves when nothing is forced.
Everything I love begins with looking. The camera taught me to notice. Beauty is less something we create than something we learn to recognize. I have spent my life looking for beauty.