Parvathi Kumar: Everyday Blackness

Marité and Joe Robinson Strolling Gallery I
February 4–May 22, 2022

Parvathi Kumar, Portrait of Whitney Smith, 2020

Beginning in June 2020, Parvathi Kumar photographed and interviewed twenty-five Black women in the New Jersey area to showcase their collective courage, tenacity, and resilience.

Responding to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests as well as the global COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey-based photographer wanted to document and share the vast goodness she observed in this group of women–a goodness that prevailed over the pain people were feeling. Her efforts resulted in the book, Everyday Blackness: Celebrating Exceptional Women, published in 2021. Ranging in age from 19 to 86, the women represent a broad array of professions and experiences. This exhibition includes portraits of all 25 women and features quotations and brief bios from each subject.

For more information on the artist, visit here.