Deborah Willis

Deborah Willis (1948- ) is an American photographer and scholar. Much of her work - both artistic and academic - centers on Black aesthetics and beauty. Willis works closely with the archives, sometimes pulling from personal histories. She is also a quilter, incorporating photographs into her finished quilts.  Willis received her BFA in photography from Philadelphia College of Art in 1975, an MFA in photography from Pratt Institute in 1979, an MA in art history from City College of New York in 1986, and a PhD from the Cultural Studies Program of George Mason University in 2001.