Malachi Walker and Rai Nauman Mumtaz, from the series Strangers/Community: Tacoma, 2013

Dawoud Bey
(American, born 1953)

Location: University of Washington - Tacoma, Tacoma

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Dawoud Bey's paired portraits bring together people from different parts of the Tacoma community. The portraits reveal superficial similarities and differences while expressing the connections that make a community work. This body of work, created for the University of Washington Tacoma, is part of an ongoing project by Dawoud Bey exploring and identifying diverse communities.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University of Washington.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dawoud Bey's artworks explore and challenge stereotypical images of African Americans and other marginalized groups, using documentary style photographic techniques. In his own words, "We often speak of community in a singular way when in fact communities are complex social structures, often populated by a wide range of people from various racial, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds."

Bey was born in Queens, New York. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the SUNY Empire State College in upstate New York in 1990, and later finished his Master of Fine Arts at the Yale University School of Art in Connecticut. He is currently a professor of photography at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois.

ARTWORK DETAILS

Material Category

Work on paper - photograph

Medium

Archival inkjet print mounted to Dibond backing

Dimensions

26 5/8 in x 32 in

ID Number

WSAC2013.009.006

Artist Location

Illinois, United States

LOCATION INFORMATION

Agency

University of Washington

Artwork Location

University of Washington - Tacoma
Power House room of Snoqualmie Library

WA County

Pierce

Setting

Interior

Site Type

University

Address

1900 Commerce St.
Tacoma, WA 98402-3100

Geo. Coordinates

47.244404 | -122.437992