Deana Lawson

2019 YBCA 100 Honoree

Deana Lawson is a contemporary American photographer, capturing her subjects in acutely localized situations, with an empathetic eye and keen anthropological interest in black individuals in their social and physical environments. For Lawson, the artist’s perspective and posture toward subjects are critical to shifting the tone of representation: “It’s about setting a different standard of values and saying that everyday black lives, everyday experiences, are beautiful, and powerful, and intelligent.”