Black Art Matters
New York City Jewelry Week Editorial
I became a photographer because I wanted to tell the stories of people who had been overlooked. As a photojournalist, I’ve spent time in post conflict zones and documented the aftermath of war and those affected. I travelled to Nepal to tell the story of orphanages filled with displaced Tibetan children and documented women survivors of rape and genocide in Sarajevo who devoted themselves to bringing justice to war criminals. Much of my identity was wrapped up in that work and as I transitioned to commercial photography, I thought I would not have the chance to use photography in the same way again, as a means for advocacy and telling stories I felt were important.
Much of what I do now is in fact determined by the business of jewelry and fashion. However, as the Black Lives Matter movement unfolded earlier this year, I was moved to consider again whether business and advocacy really are so separate from one another. I recognized that within the jewelry industry, many talented Black independent jewelers had unfairly been ignored or gone unnoticed, in the same way and for the same reasons that Black fashion designers and artists have been underrepresented within the art and fashion worlds. More importantly, I realized that through photography, even in a commercial context, I could continue to focus on narratives of great importance.
I was extremely happy when NYC Jewelry Week agreed to collaborate with me to produce this spread of images highlighting the work of several talented Black jewelry designers, each of whom celebrate their identity and heritage through designs that are strikingly beautiful. It is a shame that more attention has not been paid to these designers in the past – and there are many more who still do not have the recognition they deserve – but I am hopeful that these images and the support of NYC Jewelry Week will help give each designer broader reach and a new set of customers who would have otherwise not known about them or their beautiful work.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this shoot a reality!
NYC Jewelry Week, thank you, JB and Bella, for giving us the space to tell this story.
Thank you to Elliot Carlyle and Kiru; I could not have done this without you.
Thank you to Evyta Soendoro, my beautiful, magnificent, and talented makeup artist who continues to put up with me year after year!
Thank you to our models, Naoumie Ekiko and Rasheed Batiste. You were both a gift to have on set.
And of course, a very special thank you to all of the brilliant, talented, and inspiring designers who lent us their beautiful work for this project.