Deborah Willis’ career as a photographer, curator, and historian began with a question she had as a college student: Where are the Black photographers?
While enrolled at the Philadelphia College of Art, Willis found that Black photographers were rarely included in history books. Black people, too, were under-represented in images — often included only when the photos displayed their struggle or subjugation.
“I knew there was a lot missing,” Willis said at a recent ArtsThursday event at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. “I was encouraged by [curator and professor] Anne Tucker to continue thinking about it and continue working.”
“I knew there was a lot missing.”Deborah Willis
Willis, the University Professor of Photography & Imaging and Social & Cultural Analysis at NYU, attempted to fill that gap in her 2000 book “Reflections in Black,” a landmark collection of photography celebrating a wide spectrum of African American life from 1840 through the 20th century.
