Curator Laurie Freitag's review: 'My Playhouse' takes me and perhaps the viewer back to another time. Just as images remind us of what has come before, in this case as Annette LeMay Burke uses the cabin as a backdrop for the image, it reminds me of my own childhood when my uncle would get out the 16mm projector and we watched 'old movies' of our family. To me it was magical. It was before I was drawn to photography and there was nothing better than seeing what our family looked like when they were younger. It was a record of a time to play back anytime. And that power to play back time is what ultimately drew me to photography.

LeMay's use of overlaying the image on the cabin or 'playhouse' speaks to home and memory. A playhouse is a harbor for a child to be alone with their thoughts, of honing their imaginations and projecting their inner most emotions. The child stands in the door welcoming the future and bidding fond farewell to the past, or just standing in the moment, being a child, as children do, just being present. 'My Playhouse' is really a special image that I'm sure could have many varied meanings to each different viewer."

Laurie Freitag asks Annette LeMay Burke, "'My Playhouse' is such a strong image. It speaks to the timelessness of childhood and home. What in particular did you hope to convey when you made this image?"

Annette LeMay Burke says, "This image is part of a larger series called Memory Building. In that series, I projected photos from my parents’ archive onto the surfaces of my childhood home and re-photographed the scene. By juxtaposing the photos from the past onto the present-day walls, I unearthed 60 years of engrained memories and tried to capture my family’s vanishing history that once permeated the house.

I am the child in the playhouse image. My initial thought when creating the image was to show that the space once belonged to me and also to note how much has changed with time. In the initial snapshot, I’m standing on the threshold as the playhouse is being built, similar to how we are on the precipice of the rest of lives as children and our character is being formed. In the final image, the building has weathered a lot and had many roles in its life, but is still standing."

Freitag says, "Did the Covid- 19 Stay-at-home orders play a part in this image?"

LeMay Burke says, "Somewhat. My childhood home is about 30 minutes from my current residence. It was one of the safe spaces I could work in 2020."

Freitag says, "Our past, present, and future are intimately linked by our memories. When you look at this image, what memories are clarified to you?"

LeMay Burke says, "While I had a lot of fun with my young friends in the playhouse, this image does not bring one particular memory to mind. For me it has a broader message—it clarifies how important it is to honor your inner child. Don’t forget that childhood sense of play and creativity. Try to see the world with a fresh perspective. The overgrown weeds show how easy it is to neglect that part of ourselves, but she is always there."