congrats, ladies!

(I'm going back to the bookstore to look for this in San Fran because I couldn't find it before.)

Greetings,

I'm so late, but I wanted to let you know that my photography collective, She Shootin', has been featured in the latest issue of Trace magazine (www.trace212.com) as part of the NYC Creative Collective spread (images of cover and article are attached). On stands now and I have included the text in this email. Hope all is well and good, more later, peace!

Best regards,

Laylah

(and, She Shootin' - Nsenga Knight, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Kerika Fields and Ava Griffiths)

She Shootin’

Other than Lorna Simpson and Deborah Willis, Brooklyn photographer Laylah Amatullah Barrayn saw few black female lens masters getting props for being at the top of their game. So last year, she and four other Brooklyn women decided to take matters into their own hands by forming the She Shootin’ photography collective. “I had this vision to put women photographers in the forefront and take the industry by storm,” says Laylah. “You only hear about the dudes. And they’re great, but we’re fly too. I want to push black women photographers, and all women photographers, to get out there.”

After showcasing their work together in the summer of 2006 at Harriet’s Alter Ego – a Park Slope boutique and gallery – the women won a grant to curate a group show, “A Drum Beats in Brooklyn,” at the Brooklyn Historical Society. The springtime exhibit, highlighting the tradition of African drumming put She Shootin’ on the cultural map.

Individually, these women have worked hard to land their work in places such as the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the International Center of Photography, the African American Museum in Philadelphia and The Museum of Contemporary Art – D.C. Some have been published in anthologies such as BLACK: A Celebration of a Culture and Reflections in Black, both edited by Deborah Willis, and in magazines such as Essence, Vibe and Rolling Stone. All are world traveled – Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East. For now, the ladies of She Shootin’ are focusing on solo projects, but they hope to do another major group show in 2008. They also plan to introduce an educational component to their mission as they seek non-profit status. In the meantime, they contact each other occasionally, finding comfort in the camaraderie they have established.

“Aside from putting our names out there, we offer each other support,” says Nsenga Knight. “There are some reasons why women don’t reach certain levels in this field. Children, working other jobs, and we’re all there to help. If one of us needs to borrow money, or have someone go pick up prints, we’re there for each other so everybody is able to accomplish their goals.”

Likewise, Kerika Fields finds strength in numbers. “The sisters push me,” she says. “They encourage me. Also, we share resources. I now have people to call when I need a frame, or a referral for a printing place. But ultimately, they inspire me because they are all so good. I am compelled to keep pushing my own limits and exploring my own vision.”

The women of She Shootin’ are quick to point out that although their work often shares a socio-political focus, their photography does not influence each other’s – each has her own vision. However, they do occasionally bounce ideas off each other. “We appreciate each other’s styles, but we don’t always share our work with each other,” says Delphine Fawundu-Buford. “I have enough confidence in everyone to bring something powerful to the table.”

–Selena Ricks