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Many artists aspire towards originality: to say something that has never been said, to photograph something as yet unseen. It is a worthy aspiration; however, the creative act does not occur in a vacuum.

The work we create emerges from a well of experiences, interactions, and references, often unconscious, that we have encountered over our lifetime. In seeking to establish our own voice, the line between inspiration, reference, and theft blurs. Reference Materials explored those distinctions by asking artists to review and address their source material.