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A non-profit dedicated to cultural diversity in photography. |
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| EN FOCO | Photographers | |
 Sonya Lawyer, Golden Yellow, 2006. Searching for Beulah (Limits of Disturbance) series.  Sonya Lawyer, Ivory, 2006. Searching for Beulah (Limits of Disturbance) series.  Sonya Lawyer, Royal Blue, 2006. Searching for Beulah (Limits of Disturbance) series. |
Sonya Lawyer Born: 1974, Toledo, OH Heritage: African American Selected Exhibitions: Jenkins Johnson Gallery, New York, NY 2009 Greater Reston Center for the Arts, Reston, VA 2008 En Foco at Longwood Art Gallery, Bronx, NY 2007 Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE 2007 Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA 2006 School 33 - Gallery II, Baltimore, MD 2006 Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA 2006 The Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC 2005 Education: M.F.A University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 2003 Electronic Photography Certificate Montgomery College, Rockville, MD, 2000 B.S. Biology, cum laude, Howard University, Washington, DC, 1996 Awards: En Foco’s New Works Photography Awards #10 (2006-07), Honorable Mention National Graduate Seminar Fellowship, The Photography Institute, 2002 Fellowship, the University of Florida, 2002-03 Residencies: Maryland Art Place 19th Annual Critics’ Residency/Franklin Sirmans, 2004-2005 The Sixth Annual Sydney Kahn Summer Institute, New York, NY 2004 National Graduate Seminar, The Photography Institute/Columbia University, NYC 2002 Publications: Nueva Luz photographic journal, Volume 11#3 (Intercambio section) Artist Statement A few years ago I began collecting vintage photo albums. Most of them have been purchased through online auctions and others were purchased at antique stores. After a couple of months of watching the online auctions, I realized that some participants would buy an album and then split apart the images in the album and re-sell them individually to make a larger profit. The women, men, and children are for the most part nameless and only now known by their auction id number and their seller’s quirky sign-on. The thought of families torn apart, albeit figuratively, and then sold to the highest bidder is very disturbing and repeats a very troubling part of history. Although I recognize my own complicity by participating in the auctions of my “ancestors,” I do feel that I am rescuing the albums (people) I can, from further disturbance. As I looked over the albums for the past couple of years, I was never quite sure how and if I should incorporate them into my own artistic practice. In a quest to work with new materials, and because I never felt as I if was finding the right colors in fabric stores, I began hand-dying cotton fabric. The texture and the process finally felt right. I have begun “Searching for Beulah” by working with singular images of women of color. I will continue the series with focuses on men, children, family groups, etc. Since I have over twenty albums, I have a lot of imagery to sort through. Website: |
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