Deborah Willis (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Deborah Willis
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| Born | February 5, 1948 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Known for | Photography, curator, author, art historian, educator |
| Children | Hank Willis Thomas |
Deborah Willis, born on February 5, 1948, is a talented African-American artist. She is also a photographer, a person who organizes photo exhibits, and a historian who studies photography. Besides that, she is an author and a teacher. She has won many awards, including a special MacArthur Fellowship in 2000. This award is given to very creative people. Today, she is a Professor and leads the Photography and Imaging Department at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. In 2024, she became a member of the American Philosophical Society, a group for important thinkers.
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Early Life and Learning
Deborah Willis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Ruth and Thomas Willis. Her father was also a photographer. Deborah Willis is the mother of a well-known artist named Hank Willis Thomas.
Her family connections are important in her art. For example, she created Daddy's Ties: The Tie Quilt II in 1992. Another work is Progeny: Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas from 2009.
Her College Degrees
Deborah Willis studied at several universities. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography in 1975. She then received a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography in 1979. In 1986, she got a Master of Arts degree in art history. Finally, she earned her Ph.D. in Cultural Studies in 2001.
Her Amazing Career
Early in her career, Deborah Willis wanted to find and celebrate photos taken by African Americans. She also aimed to show the beauty of the female body in her art.
Books About Black Photographers
With help from Richard Newman, she wrote her first book in 1985. It was called Black Photographers, 1840-1940: an Illustrated Bio-bibliography. This book featured over 300 photographers. She said that many photographers were ready to throw away their work because it wasn't recognized.
To continue her goal, she released a second book in 1989. It was titled An Illustrated Bio-Bibliography of Black Photographers, 1940-1988. This book included many modern photographers.
Working at Important Institutions
From 1980 to 1992, Willis worked at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This center is part of the New York Public Library. She was the curator for photographs and helped with exhibitions.
After that, she became an exhibitions curator at the Center for African American History and Culture. This center is part of the Smithsonian Institution. She worked there for eight years.
Teaching and Writing
Between 2000 and 2001, she was a visiting professor at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Later, she joined New York University as a professor of photography. She eventually became the head of that department.
Deborah Willis is very interested in saving history and culture. She has written about 20 books. These books are about African-American photographers and how Black people are shown in photos. Some of her famous books include Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present (2002) and Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present (2009). Another book is Black: A Celebration of a Culture (2014).
Film and Exhibitions
In 2014, Willis helped make a documentary film. It was called Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People. This film was based on her book Reflections in Black.
In 2008, she organized an exhibition called Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits. This show was for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Her work was also part of the 2015 exhibition We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s. This show was held at the Woodmere Art Museum.
Awards and Honors
Deborah Willis has received many awards and special recognitions. Here are some of them:
- 1995: Infinity Award for Writing from the International Center of Photography.
- 2000: MacArthur Fellow (a very special award for creative people).
- 2003: Honorary doctorate from Maryland Institute College of Art.
- 2005: Fletcher Fellow from the Fletcher Foundation.
- 2005: Guggenheim Fellow from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
- 2013–2014: Richard D. Cohen Fellow at Harvard University.
- 2020: Award for Outstanding Service to Photography and Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society.
- 2023: Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art.
- 2023: Honorary Doctor of Humanities from Yale University.
Her Art and Photography
As an artist and photographer, Deborah Willis has shown her work in many places. She was represented by galleries in Miami and Berkeley, California.
Exhibitions of Her Work
Some of her exhibitions include:
- Progeny, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, 2008. This show later traveled to New York and Sacramento in 2009.
- Regarding Beauty, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2003. This exhibition featured her photographs and special quilts.
- Deborah Willis: Tied to Memory, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, 2000.
- Deborah Willis, Hughley Gallery & Objects, Atlanta, 1992. This show included small story quilts made with old photos and family pictures.
Her Unique Quilts
Willis is also a quilter, which means she makes art with fabric. She often adds photographic images to her quilts.
For example, Daddy's Ties: The Tie Quilt II from 1992 is a fabric collage. It includes buttons, tie clips, and pins. This quilt is like a soft, uneven memorial. It reminds people of different generations and genders. It brings up memories of fathers teaching their sons and boys growing into men. It also shows women adjusting their husbands' ties.
However, by cutting and rearranging the ties, Willis also suggests that old traditions might be changing. This collage also remembers Black soldiers who fought in World War II. Willis included photos of soldiers on linen fabric in the quilt.
Willis often focuses on the African-American experience in her art. Her quilt Tribute to the Hottentot Venus: Bustle (1995) is another example. It's a fabric and photo linen collage in three parts. Small images of Saartjie Baartman, also known as the "Hottentot Venus," appear in the left and right sections. The middle part shows a dress from the late 1800s with a large bustle, which highlights the shape of the body.
Willis explains that using quilting helps us remember who we are. It also reminds us of what our ancestors have done for us in society.
Exhibitions Featuring Her Quilts
Her quilts have been shown in these exhibits:
- Story Quilts: Photography and Beyond, Black Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1999. This show featured works by three African-American artists, including Willis.
- Tribute to the Hottentot Venus quilt, 1992.
Exhibitions She Organized
Deborah Willis has also organized many art exhibitions. Here are some of them:
- Posing Beauty in African American Culture, which opened in Fall 2009 at New York University. This exhibition then traveled around the world.
- Reflections in Black, Arts and Industries Building, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 2000. This show was about African-American photography. It traveled across the U.S. between 2000 and 2003.
- Constructed Images: New Photography, which traveled between 1989 and 1992.
