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Telling the stories left out of history books: Catch celebrated photographer Deborah Willis at the Norton Museum

Deborah Willis, the Norton Museum's first artist-in-residence since the pandemic.
Laylah Amatullah Barrayn
Deborah Willis, the Norton Museum's first artist-in-residence since the pandemic.

One of the nation's leading historians of African American photography, and a celebrated artist in her own right, has just concluded her residency at a South Florida museum. But there is still a chance to see her work.

In her four weeks with the West Palm Beach's Norton Museum of Art, as the institution's first artist-in-residence since the pandemic, Deborah Willis had the opportunity to work on several of her own projects, including putting together photographs for a book. The Norton purchased her work of art, Christmas, 1995, and it will be on view through May.

As the artist, photographer, professor and curator concludes her residency, she spoke to WLRN about her life's inspirations, how she became an expert on African American photography, and her time in South Florida.

The 74-year-old said she was grateful to have had the opportunity to focus on her own photography while at the museum. “The exciting aspect for me is I’ve spent a lifetime focusing on other people's photography," she said.

Sunday marked the end of her residency, when she was due to give a talk at the Norton about fashion and photography. It's apropos because of the museum's current exhibition, "A Personal View on High Fashion and Street Style".

"When I studied the history of photography, there were no Black photographers in my history book ... I wanted to focus on telling community stories, documenting moments and people's lives that weren't in my history books.”
Deborah Willis

"I'm not only interested in photographers who documented fashion photography, but also how race was played — an important role for women models, Black women models during the 20th century," she said. "And so that's part of my focus within representation in in fashion."

Willis spent the month going through her own photographs, for a future book. Another project she's been focusing on is going through the photographs she took in the beauty shops of Eatonville, Florida — the oldest Black-incorporated municipality in the nation.

Carrie at the Euro Salon, Eatonville.
Deborah Willis
Carrie at the Euro Salon, Eatonville. This is one of the photographs Willis took during her time in Eatonville, Florida.

"I wanted to photograph women when they are being cared for and and thinking about beauty through the beauty shop experience. And so that's one of the five series of projects that I'm working on," she said.

"I have spent a number of years traveling to Florida, photographing in Eatonville and other places. And and I enjoy that aspect of sitting in beauty shops and just listening and watching women. You know, we rarely have time to dress as women. We are constantly moving and working and taking care of others. And in the Beauty Shop there's an exhale moment, and that's where I try to document."

In 2021, Willis published a book, The Black Civil War Soldier. It was long listed for the National Book Award.

"I never knew Black civil war soldiers fought for their freedom when I was a kid in college or in elementary school. So, finding the photographs and having that visual experience, I wanted to tell a different story. For me it was another way of telling histories through the visual medium,” she said.

Willis said she grew up with families who loved their stories of migrating from Virginia to Philadelphia. “They enjoyed life and they enjoyed their experiences of being together and they loved being photographed.” she said. Her father gave her a camera at the age of 5 or 6–and that was the first time she photographed Christmas.

Christmas, 1995. Mixed media installation with taffeta, men’s ties, photographs, and various fabrics Purchase, R. H. Norton Trust, 2013.104, Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida
Christmas, 1995. Mixed media installation with taffeta, men’s ties, photographs, and various fabrics Purchase, R. H. Norton Trust, 2013.104, Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida

Willis’ work is a combination of art and history. She believes art is a compelling way to share that history. “I have been a storyteller all my life — my family are great storytellers,” she said.

Her work of art, Christmas, 1995, is a mixed media that includes various fabrics, men’s ties and photographs.

She’s always been interested in the visual experience of history. “And what I embrace is histories and how we tell histories. I think the best way to tell through text is through images. And as a photographer, I have been focused on ways of creating stories that enhance moments.”

As a child, Willis was inspired by the book, The Sweet Flypaper of Life by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes. The book — a hybrid of photography and poetry — describes the life of a Black family in Harlem, in the 1950s. It was then she knew she wanted to be a photographer.

“I used to just turn the pages of that book when I was 8 years old, 7 years old… I was constantly taking it out of the library, because it was a story that when you go to museums at my age, when I was a kid, you didn't see Black stories.”

Expanding the history of African American photographers

While studying photography at the Philadelphia College of Art — now known as the University of the Arts — she embarked on a project that focused on expanding the history of African American photographers. Soon it became her life’s work.

“When I studied the history of photography, there were no Black photographers in my history book, and this is in 1972, and I felt it was necessary to create a project. I wanted to focus on telling community stories, documenting moments and people's lives that weren't in my history books,” she said.

Willis speaks fondly of her son, Hank Willis Thomas. His work, Opportunity, 2015, is also on display at the Norton Museum.

His newest work, The Embrace, a tribute to MLK, is the first new monument in the Boston Common in more than 30 years. The sculpture has sparked some controversy.

“When you look at one angle, it's a heart and you feel like you're in the heart of Dr. King and Mrs. King. And it’s a really powerful moment for me to experience not only as a mom, but also as a photographer and a photography teacher. What do we want of images?” Willis said.

The Embrace was inspired by photographs taken during the Civil Rights movement. “Hank has shown a way to think about love, because Hank talked about we know monuments of war, but we never see monuments of love.”

A man reaches to touch a detail of the 20-foot-high bronze sculpture "The Embrace," a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, in the Boston Common, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Boston. The sculpture, consisting of four intertwined arms, was inspired by a photo of the Kings embracing when MLK learned he had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The statue is to be unveiled during ceremonies Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Steven Senne
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AP
The 20-foot-high bronze sculpture "The Embrace," a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, designed by Deborah Willis' son Hank Willis Thomas. It was unveiled in the Boston Common this year.

Deborah Willis told WLRN that her work has always been meaningful because education is central. “If people understood images and understood how to read images, how to think about humanity and see humanity in the images that we as photographers are interested in exploring. This is why my work is central.”

Willis is a professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She teaches photography and history. She enjoys participating in Miami’s Art Basel every year. In March, she’ll be speaking at the University of Florida’s Harn Museum of Art.

Yvonne Bertucci zum Tobel discovered public radio during a road trip in 1994 and has been a fan ever since. She has experience writing and producing television news. As a freelance reporter for WLRN, she hopes to actively pursue her passion for truth in journalism, sharpen her writing skills and develop her storytelling techniques.
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