Center for Black Visual Culture.
Taft Museum of Art.
Curated by Dr. Deborah Willis, Posing Beauty in African American Culture traces the relationship between African American beauty and visual culture from the 1890s to the present through documentary, commercial, and fine art photography. Documentary photographs and portraits of portraits of Black Americans—some famous, some just ordinary citizens—present the public face of African American beauty, while commercial photographs demonstrate how fashion and advertising have constructed beauty standards. Finally, contemporary photographers—some of whom use themselves as a subject—encourage consideration of how images of beauty impact mass culture and individuals.
Photo: LaToya Ruby Frazier, Zion Taking Her First Sip of Water from the Atmospheric Water Generator with Her Mother Shea Cobb on North Saginaw Street between East Marengo Avenue and East Pulaski Avenue, Flint, Michigan, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery.