LaToya Ruby Frazier

 

I chose LaToya Ruby Frazier for my photographer of the week. She stuck out to me solely because my oldest daughter's favorite auntie is a phenomenal photographer and her name happens to be LaToya, so I was drawn to this name and upon further research I ended up very happy with my decision. 

LaToya grew up in Pennsylvania and was drawn to photography at an early age. She grew particularly fond of the link between community and inside documentation therein. She revised social documentary style from the traditional Dorothea Lange or Walker Evans. Inspiration was created from Gordon Parks, who promoted the camera as a weapon for social justice. Graduating at 17 she pursued her education under a new mentor, Kathe Kowalski, obtaining, in 2004, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography and Graphic Design from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She then received a Masters of Fine Art Photography from the School of Visual Performing Arts at Syracuse University in 2007. She went on to teach at Yale.

LaToya Ruby Frazier’s claim to fame is her deeply personal and political photography that exposes the human cost of industrial decline and racial injustice in America, beginning with her hometown of Braddock. She is also the recipient of countless awards such as The Notion of Family, published by Aperture in 2014, was awarded the 2015 Infinity Award for Best Publication by the International Center of Photography (ICP). Also her work around the Flint water crisis in Michigan and industrialization and its impact on community and environment and family. She has been a professor at Yale, a TED talk speaker, has done empowering projects for women such as the works for OKC women's basketball champions and various other projects. Her work has been in countless galleries and shown and celebrated all over the world. Not bad for a social determinate statistic from a run down spot on the map who had all the odds stacked against her but for refusing to let her own and countless others like her that shared the same story to go unheard. She chose to be the light in the dark places and to expose truths that were getting covered up and told to the public in lies. She chose to rise up and to break on through to the other side, and for that, Mrs. Frazier, we thank you.

This is my favorite photo, I think. There are so too many, but I really love this message and the photo and its grittiness. I love it for its complicity and it simplicity. It seems to not be very deep but if you attempt to tread those waters you find just how deep it gets. Stop the Violence, Increase the Education & Peace. Thank you.