Publication Date

5-2-2024

Document Type

Photograph

First Advisor

Fleming, Amy

Degree Name

B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts)

Department

School of Art and Design

Abstract

Understanding your family can be the starting point of understanding your personal identity. Coming of age, you begin to view your family members as individuals as opposed to their titles of “Mother” or “Grandmother” names that once seemed to elude that she possessed some sort of supernatural power. As Jayla Watkins looks across 3 generations of her family, she sees different versions of the same person affected by life experiences, environments, and choices. Some oddly similar and some worlds apart. Understanding the generations of woman before her helps inform the woman she is becoming.

With influences such as Deana Lawson and Carrie Mae Weems and inspired by her own coming of age you will see portraits of three generations of women (herself, her mother, and her grandmother). The setting of her grandmother’s home gives context to an environment that three have all spent time growing in over the years. Including motifs of femininity, matriarchy, and spirituality, this series works to inspire viewers to challenge their views on familial relationships and strive to become the best versions of themselves.

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