Coca-Cola advertisement

Program

BFA 73 Photography and Imaging

Barbara DuMetz launched her career as a commercial photographer in 1970s Los Angeles, branching out into portraiture and fine art photography. She earned acclaim for her depictions of everyday life in black communities, and for her work with African American actors, writers, artists, musicians and sports figures. Among her subjects: Maya Angelou, Quincy Jones, Bebe Moore Campbell, Thelonious Monk, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Betye Saar. DuMetz’s award-winning images have appeared in "Essence" and "Black Enterprise" magazines, and in advertising for such high-profile corporations as Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Toyota and McDonalds. During a career spanning four decades, she made a major contribution to diversifying the landscape of images that defined pop culture in the United States. A retrospective of her work, "Visibility: Through Her Eyes," was mounted in 2014 at the Carl Van Vechten Gallery on the campus of Fisk University. DuMetz maintains her studio in Atlanta, Georgia.