NYU displays “Her Word As Witness: Portraits of Women Writers of the African Diaspora,” 35 images by Brooklyn-based photographer Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, at the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs at the Kimmel Center for University Life.
New York University displays “Her Word As Witness: Portraits of Women Writers of the African Diaspora,” 35 images by Brooklyn-based photographer Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, at NYU’s Center for Multicultural Education and Programs at the Kimmel Center for University Life (60 Washington Square South, 8th Floor/at LaGuardia Place).
Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 212.998.4350. The exhibition continues through September 30, 2012. Photo ID required for entry.
Barrayn’s large-scaled images of a group of women writers hailing from throughout the African Diaspora are designed to create a rich narrative for students, staff, administrators, and community members to enjoy and be inspired by. She describes the exhibit as a “visual anthology representing African and Caribbean global perspectives.”
The photographs capture personal images of some of today’s most compelling female writers, including: Columbia University professor and author Farah Jasmine Griffin; award-winning Haitian novelist and essayist Edwidge Danticat; journalist Tomika Anderson; singer-songwriter-bassist and Grammy award recipient Esperanza Spalding.
Others featured include: science fiction writer Tananarive Due; poet and essayist Asha Bandele; Susan Taylor, the former editor-in-chief of Essence; poet Sonia Sanchez; hip-hop feminist and cultural critic and NYU graduate student Joan Morgan; investigative reporter and novelist Jill Nelson, as well as other literary and performance artists.
“The creative work of these writers has stirred many to action, incited imaginations, and expanded visions,” Barrayn explains. “These photographs memorialize my appreciation of these women and their work, as well as my deep love and respect for the written word.”
“Her Word as Witness” is Barrayn’s third solo exhibition. Her photos of the jazz community, “Kindred Cool,” appeared in 2008 at MOCADA, and her debut exhibition, “Black and Tan Fantasy,” featuring images from Dakar, Senegal, appeared in 2006 at Calabar Imports.