Deana Lawson facts for kids

Deana Lawson (born 1979) is an American artist and photographer from Brooklyn, New York. She is also a teacher. Her photos often explore themes like family, culture, and the beauty of Black life.

Her amazing photographs are displayed in many famous museums and galleries. These include the International Center of Photography, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

A special show of her work, The Hugo Boss Prize 2020: Deana Lawson, Centropy, was held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum from May to October 2021.

Early Life and Education

Deana Lawson was born in 1979 in Rochester, New York. She studied photography in college. She earned her first degree (B.F.A.) from Pennsylvania State University in 2001. Later, she got her master's degree (M.F.A.) in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2004.

Lawson once shared that during her second year at Penn State, she had a big decision to make. She could either keep studying business or follow her dream to become an artist. She chose art and never looked back!

Teaching Photography

Since 2012, Lawson has been a professor of Photography at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. In 2021, she received a special honor, becoming the first Dorothy Krauklis '78 Professor of Visual Arts at Princeton.

She has also taught photography at other well-known art schools. These include the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), the International Center for Photography, the California College of the Arts (CCA), and the Rhode Island School of Design.

About Her Photography

Assemblage (2021) at the Museum of Modern Art in 2022

Deana Lawson says she was inspired to take photos by other African American photographers. Artists like Carrie Mae Weems and Renee Cox showed her what was possible. When she was in college, she noticed there wasn't much information about photographers of color. This made her want to learn more about Black artists.

She found inspiration in artists like Lorna Simpson. Their work encouraged her to pursue photography. Lawson realized that not only did she love making pictures, but she could also make a career out of it. This was very important for her to feel confident as an artist.

Lawson's photographs are very special. She carefully plans each shot, paying close attention to details. Her photos often show people in their homes or private spaces. Even though she calls her subjects "family," they are usually strangers she meets in public places.

Lawson explains that her work explores how people's experiences and culture are shown through their bodies. She captures how things like family and social standing can be seen in a person's appearance.

Detail from Crystal Assemblage (2020) at MoMA PS1 in 2022

In 2011, a writer for The New Yorker magazine described Lawson's portraits as "intimate and unexpected." Lawson herself says that her images are connected by her clear artistic vision. She carefully considers how her subjects pose, the lighting, and the setting for each photograph.

One of Lawson's most important works is called The Garden. This photo series is inspired by the famous painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. In 2014, Lawson traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to find places that looked like her idea of Eden. This trip led her to a small village called Gemena, which became the setting for The Garden.

While many of Lawson's photos are taken in New York, she has also photographed people in other places. These include Louisiana, Haiti, Jamaica, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She hopes that by traveling, her work can show how Black culture is found all over the world, not just in one place.

In 2015, Time magazine asked Lawson to photograph the aftermath of a sad event in Charleston, South Carolina. Her photos focused on the community after the tragedy.

In 2016, one of Lawson's photographs, Binky & Tony Forever, was used as the cover art for a music album. It was for Freetown Sound, the third album by the artist Dev Hynes, also known as Blood Orange. The photo was taken in Lawson's own bedroom and shows young love. Lawson said it focuses on the female perspective and her space.

Lawson's large photograph, Ring Bearer (2016), was shown at the 2017 Whitney Biennial, a big art exhibition. The movie Queen & Slim (2019) was inspired by Lawson's photography. It aimed to show an honest look at Black experiences and stylish home interiors. In 2019, Lawson photographed Melina Matsoukas, who directed the film.

Lawson's first major museum show was organized in 2021 by the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. It later traveled to MoMA PS1. This show included not only her photographs but also special art pieces she made using crystals.

Personal Life

Deana Lawson has two children with her former husband, who is also an artist named Aaron Gilbert.

Awards and Honors

• 2008–2009: She received a grant from the Aaron Siskind Foundation for photographers.
• 2013: She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for her photography work.
• 2020: She won the Hugo Boss Prize from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
• 2022: She received the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2022 in London.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

• 2014: Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, Deana Lawson: Mother Tongue
• 2017: Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, Deana Lawson
• 2018: Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, New Work
• 2018: Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Forum 80: Deana Lawson
• 2018–2019: The Underground Museum, Los Angeles, Deana Lawson: Planes
• 2020: Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland, Deana Lawson: Centropy
• 2021: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, The Hugo Boss Prize 2020: Deana Lawson, Centropy

Group Exhibitions

• 2016: The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, Black Cowboy
• 2017: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, The 2017 Whitney Biennial
• 2018: Gordon Parks Foundation, New York, American Family: Derrick Adams and Deana Lawson
• 2018: Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, Rhode Island, The Phantom of Liberty

See also

In Spanish: Deana Lawson para niños