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Oral History Project

BOMB’s Oral History Project is dedicated to collecting, documenting, and preserving the stories of distinguished visual artists of the African Diaspora.

ABOUT SUPPORT

An Oral History with Deborah Willis by Kalia Brooks

Speaking with her niece, the photographer traces the origins of her practice through anecdotes about her childhood, early career, and the influence of photographers like Roy DeCarava, Jack Franklin, and her father, Thomas Meredith Willis.

February 26, 2026

Headshot by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn of DW
The artsists stand side by side, both in white, in front of their mantle.
Black-and-white portrait of an older man wearing a beanie, hoop earring, and quilted winter jacket, standing on a street with blurred cars and trees in the background. He has a serious, contemplative expression.
The artist, a Black woman with short hair wearing printed sneakers and a white sweat suit, smiles, sitting in a chair in her studio with one foot up on a stool. In the background, maps, posters, and other printouts are pinned to the wall.
Color photograph of the artist, a black man with a graying goatee, smiling slightly.
Figurative painting of the artist wearing blue, sitting, wearing a beret, looking on at the painter with an open window through which water can be seen in the background.
Harris, a Black woman with gray hair and pink lipstick, stands in her studio surrounded by textiles in vibrant colors.

Explore Our Study Guides.

A supplement for teaching our Oral History Projects in the classroom and beyond.

Read More
The head and shoulders of the artist, a Black man, standing in front of his work in a blurry background.
A photographic color portrait of a Black man sitting with clasped hands, dressed in all black, wearing an Apple watch, in front of a wall with six framed photographs.
Cynthia Hawkins sits in front of a canvas, wearing a paint-splattered smock beside a bucket of brushes..
The artist sits in an armchair next to a trolley of painting materials, including brushes in a French Roast coffee grounds tin, with a large work of art behind him on the wall.
jina valentine wearing round glasses and a patterned long sleeve dress sits in a wooden chair wearing a leopard-print dress, looking at the camera.
Oral history project logo
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Katrina Andry, a Black woman, sits in her studio.
Colored photograph of eliza myrie wearing all black, standing in front of a wooden frame in her studio while holding her long, twisted hair in her hands to frame her face.
Folayemi Wilson stands in a shaded tree-lined street with a sculpture made of mahogany and pheasant feathers. They look directly at the camera and wear thick, black, rounded glasses, a tshirt that says "Black Lives Love& Strive& Hope& Struggle& Matter.", jeans, and boots.
Photograph of Nyeema Morgan sitting in an art studio.
Man with a grey beard and colorful shirt sitting in front of one of his pink and white paintings.
The artist poses for a black-and-white portrait in a chair.
A bald Black man wearing a printed short sleeve button down sits in front of a tree
An older Black woman wears a red crochet hat and a colorful printed vest over a t-shirt while sitting in her home studio with art supplies scattered on a desk with various art and paper clippings on the wall
A portrait of a man looking at the camera with a black object jutting into space behind him.
Image of two Black older women standing in a house smiling at the camera. One woman on the left has a camouflage bandana wrapped around her hair. The other woman on the right has her locs down and is wearing a polkadot button down.
Black-and-white photograph of two Black women engaged in conversation with each other.
Maren Hassinger, an older Black woman, with gray hair pulled back wearing glasses wearing a striped button down looking straight at the camera.
An older Black man wearing a navy suit jacket over a blue checkered button up shirt looks to the side standing in front of a multicolored mural
A black and white photo of James Little in his Brooklyn art studio. Little, a Black man, is wearing sunglasses and a fluffy zip-up jacket, and he is smiling.
A black-and-white photograph of Peter Bradley, a Black man with an afro, in a printed shirt and tie, reclining with his arms behind his head.
Black-and-white portrait of Eldzier Cortor, a Black man, seated with his left arm propped on a wooden ledge, his gaze looking out towards an open window. The window casts a warm light on his face, the rest of him falls in shadow
Gerald Jackson, an older Black man, standing with a black suit and black hat on
A Black man with grey hair and glasses, wearing a grey shirt and plaid shorts, Stanley Whitney, stands in an open doorway with a hand on his hip.
Terry Adkins, a Black man wears a black hoodie and sunglasses, holds a conical form.
Three black-and-white photos of Edwards. Left: he looks to the side and smiles. Center: he faces the camera. Right: he looks to the side and smiles, gesturing with his hands.
Black-and-white photograph of a man wearing a hat rowing a boat away from the shore.
Cowans 01
abstract painting of gradient style thick lines
Black silhouettes arranged on a curved white wall.
A colorful collage forming a woman with large lips and a bald head. She is posed on top of a blue sphere where mushrooms are scattered around her titled, Riding Death in My Sleep, by Wangechi Mutu.

BOMB records the artist’s voice, and diasporic narratives are an important part of our nation’s history that must be acknowledged. Help us chronicle more stories as we look to expand into more cities.

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Oral History Project Advisors 
 

New York:

Sanford Biggers

Linda Goode Bryant

Melvin Edwards

Thelma Golden

Janet Olivia Henry

Kellie Jones

Odili Donald Odita

Victoria Rogers

Lowery Stokes Sims

Mickalene Thomas

Carrie Mae Weems

Stanley Whitney

Jack Whitten (in memoriam)

Chicago:

Lisa Graziose Corrin

Janet Dees

Darby English

Patric McCoy

Nyeema Morgan

Rebecca Zorach

New Orleans:

Nic[o] Brierre Aziz

Ron Bechet

Pia Ehrhardt

Rebecca E. Snedeker

Detroit:

McArthur Binion

Mary-Ann Monforton
 

The Oral History Project’s expansion to Chicago and New Orleans is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support for New York is provided by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

BERJAYA