Artist lecture: Hank Willis Thomas 2/16/10

I was appreciative that Thomas began his lecture by showing us where he started in his involvement with photography. It's always refreshing to see artists' humble beginnings. At first glance his early photos that incorporated subjects holding an actual frame within the frame came off as amateur but once he explained his concept of showing how much of a lie photography actually is, I warmed up to them.

I enjoyed his projects that dealt with his cousin's murder, especially the series of portraits of people who knew his cousin, but I was also relieved to hear Thomas say that he began collaborating with other artists since he realized he couldn't continue creating art that dealt with his loss since not everyone would be able to empathize. I thought that was very wise of him because he could have easily continued creating projects that dealt with his loss and therefore never grow artistically out of that common theme.