Nydia Blas facts for kids
Nydia Blas (born 1981) is an American photographer from New York. She creates art that explores what it means to be a young Black woman or girl. Nydia noticed that not many Black women were shown in art. Because of this, she decided to focus only on making pictures of women of color. Today, she teaches photography at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Early Life and Education
Nydia Blas was born in October 1981. She grew up in Ithaca, New York. She earned her first college degree from Ithaca College. There, she studied cinema and photography. She also learned about the history and culture of people of African descent. Later, she earned her advanced degree, a Master of Fine Arts, in photography from Syracuse University.
Exploring Photography
Nydia Blas started taking photos when she was a teenager. At first, she liked the process of photography itself. She enjoyed trying different things until she got the picture she wanted. Later, she became interested in how photos could change what people thought. She learned how photos were used to fight against terrible violence, like in the anti-lynching movement.
Nydia uses her art to share her own experiences. She shows what it was like growing up, being an adult, and being a mother. She uses photos, collages, films, and books to tell her stories. Her art creates a special space through the eyes of a Black woman. It tells tales about different situations, their meanings, and their impact. Nydia's photos especially explore the identity of young Black women and girls.
One of her famous photo series is called The Girls Who Spun Gold. The name comes from a book by Virginia Hamilton. It is an African-American version of the classic fairytale "Rumpelstiltskin". A writer from HuffPost described the series. She said it celebrates girls in all their realness, gentleness, and strength.
Most of the people in Nydia's photos are Black women. In 2016, Nydia said that not many Black women were shown in art. She explained, "This is why I have chosen to currently make images of only women of color."
Nydia's art has been shown in many places. Her work was displayed at The Wing in New York City and Washington, D.C. Her photos were also part of an exhibition called Vigilance, Struggle, Pride: Through Her Eyes. This show traveled across Europe. In 2016, Nydia was an artist-in-residence at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. This means she worked there as an artist for a time. In 2018, her photo series Whatever You Like was shown at the Garey Gallery. Also in 2018, she received a grant from Light Work.
Some of her photographs were also included in a book. The book is called Mfon: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora. It features the work of over 100 female photographers of African descent from around the world.
Community Work
In January 2017, Nydia Blas became the acting executive director of the Southside Community Center. By 2018, she was one of the two leaders there, along with Nia Nunn. Nydia and Nia started a special program called "Black Girl Alchemists." They created this program for young Black women in Ithaca, New York.
The program encouraged these young women to express themselves. They used writing and art to fight against negative ideas about themselves. These ideas sometimes come from racism or sexism. In 2016, they won a large grant of US$270,000. This money helped them continue their work focused on Black cultural identity.
While working at the Southside Community Center, Nydia Blas started the Girl Empowerment Group. Nydia was a mentor to the girls in this group. She encouraged them to write in diaries. She taught them about self-esteem. She also organized events for other teenagers in the Black community. Later, some of the girls from this group became the subjects for her photo series The Girls Who Spun Gold.
Personal Life
Nydia Blas had her first child when she was 18 years old. As of 2021, she has two children. She has said that her experience as a mother "runs through all of my work."
