Department of Fine and Performing Arts

Briona Vennie

Black Girl Reality

Thesis Statement

briona vennieHistory has instilled a standard upon African American women - the strong Black woman. This stereotype has turned into a compliment for Black women as its positive connotation is Black Girl Magic. However, what if we celebrated these women in ways that aren’t always magical? Black women are vital in every space they occupy, from mental health to having faith in their religion to the poetic words they speak. I want to create an exhibition sharing the stories of women I believe show their Black girl magic in their unique way. A digital photography magazine is how I will present my collection. I will practice layering images to depict movement and shift in expression throughout the women telling me their stories. I will use digital manipulation to project my abstract art style in my photos.

  • Storytelling is in various ways through books, conversation, and movement. I love listening to someone tell me their story, watching their expressions and body language. Both set the tone of the story. I know the story is exciting when someone has a dramatic movement and speaks frantically with their hands. On the other hand, if a person lacks eye contact and looks at the ground, the story is sad. Minor details about a person bring a story to life, not just its presentation. I enjoy paying attention to these kinds of elements in a person.

    By sitting down and interviewing, I have developed better interpersonal skills that have helped me build great relationships. For instance, I used not to make eye contact during conversations, but I learned eye contact indicates you are paying attention. I want the person I am speaking to know I am paying attention to them. Even though observing their body language and facial expressions do not translate that I am devoting my attention to the person and their story. I photograph my subject at the moment to showcase raw emotion and use it as a visual for their storytelling. A common theme in most of my previous series, such as; Sonder (2016), Burn (2020), and Meta (2016), is the expression of movement through layering images. Work by film photographers James Van Der Zee and Tiffany J Sutton inspired my use of this technique for my exhibition. Using a DSLR camera and Adobe Photoshop is how I achieve this.