The Third Street Artist-In-Residence Program is a new program aiming to bring working artists/photographers into the Lafayette community.

Tag: Deana Lawson

This semester we had the pleasure of hosting Deanna Lawson .  Lawson’s work focuses on the psychological, personal, political and historical experiences that are expressed through the body. Lawson brought a diverse and refreshing energy to Lafayette College.

During Lawson’s visit she met with senior thesis students and helped critique the progress of Digital Photography III students. IMG_4669The students loved Lawson’s advice, insight and most importantly, her honesty. This candor sentiment translates in her work, which she presented during her artist lecture. When she was not interacting with the students, Lawson worked on printing her own images from a recent trip down IMG_4680South.

The large format photos paired with a large print medium, allows for us to appreciate the detail in her vibrant portraits. Her images are beautifully constructed and tell the stories of the working class. During her artist talk she spoke about the process in which she chooses subjects to photograph, “I approach people in every day life that look interesting to me.” She approaches potential subjects and exchanges contact to schedule a photo shoot. Lawson’s process is unique in that she photographs her subjects in their own space. This intimacy reflects in her family portraiture, which is personalized and genuine, despite her subjects being strangers. Lawson is currently back at Lafayette shooting the local residents of
Easton, using the same selection process.

 

Deana Lawson Artist-In-Residence

Deana Lawson is a photo-based artist born in Rochester, NY. Lawson received an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004. Her work focuses on the psychological, personal, political and historical experiences that are expressed through the body.  Lawson is a recipient of the 2008-09 Aaron Siskind Fellowship Grant and a NYFA Grant in 2006.  Publications include Time Out NY, Contact Sheet, and Photography Quarterly.  Lawson’s work has been exhibited widely, and she has held artist residencies at Light Work and Visual Studies Workshop.

Lawson refers to the subjects of her photographs as “her family.” Although she is not related to them by blood—in fact, they are nearly all strangers—the pictures are remarkably intimate. Lawson composes almost every element, often sketching scenes out on paper before working with the camera. Reflecting Western and African portraiture conventions, the works examine “the body’s ability to channel personal and social histories, drawing on the various formal and informal languages of the medium and its archival capabilities,” the artist says. The result is a collection of body compositions portraying humans’ limitless variety. Lawson currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Deana will be at Lafayette from Feb. 27-March 4 working on the creation of her own work.  While here, she will meet with advanced art students and give an artist talk on Thur. Feb. 28 at 4:10pm in Williams 108.