Society for Photographic Education Award
Jillian Marie Browning (she/they) (born 1989, Ocala, FL; lives Birmingham, AL) is an interdisciplinary artist pursuing themes of feminism, identity and the contemporary Black experience. Browning received a BS in photography from the University of Central Florida, Orlando in 2012 and an MFA in studio art from Florida State University, Tallahassee in 2015. Browning’s work has been exhibited nationally and is included in the permanent collections of the David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park; The Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, FL; the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Kingston, NY; and the University of Minnesota, Morris. Browning currently serves as Assistant Professor of Photography at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Statement from the Artist:
Through the use of historic photographic processes and other techniques, I explore the concept of feminine identity through the lens of contemporary Black experience. Utilizing self-portraiture, my work often deals with the intersection of feminism and race, and how the two are constructed through the investigation of social, familial, and gender roles. Additionally, my work considers the way in which personal identity is assembled through one’s body image and racial identity.