Lavett Ballard

Lavett Ballard (b. 1970) holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and Art History with a minor in Museum Studies (Rutgers University), as well as a MFA in Studio Arts (University of the Arts, Philadelphia).  

Ballard describes her work as a re-imagined visual narrative of people of African descent. Her use of imagery reflects social issues affecting primarily Black women’s stories within a historical context. Her current body of work uses collaged photos adorned with paint, oil pastels, and metallic foils. These photos are deconstructed and layered on reclaimed wood fences; the use of fences is a symbolic reference to how fences keep people in and out physically, just as racial and gender identities do so socially. The fusion of wood and photography offers artwork that both explores Ballard’s southern roots, as well as visually speaks volumes to continuing themes within her community.

Her artwork has been featured on the cover of TIME Magazine, selected for the “100 Women of the Year” edition in 2020. Named by Black Art in America as one of the Top 10 Female Emerging Artists to Collect, Ballard has placed works in the private collections of the African American Museum of Philadelphia, the Colored Girls Museum, the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection, and the Grant and Tamia Hill Private Collections.

Galerie Myrtis (Baltimore) and Long-Sharp Gallery (Indianapolis | New York) jointly represent Lavett Ballard.

Image courtesy of Ted Waters