FLINT, MICH.- Opening on Sunday, January 22, Women of a New Tribe, a photographic study by artist Jerry Taliaferro, celebrates the spiritual and physical beauty of women in Flint’s African American community. What began as a single portrait for his own portfolio has evolved into a multi-decade, nationwide project, revealing what Taliaferro calls “the beauty and souls of black women.” First exhibited at the Afro-American Cultural Center in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002, the project has traveled across the United States and been presented in a variety of public spaces, including the Miami International Airport and Mullins Library on the University of Arkansas campus. For this iteration of the exhibition, the Flint Institute of Arts asked the community for nominations in January 2016 during its annual Community Gala. One hundred ten women were nominated and 50 participants were drawn from that pool at the 2016 Community Dialogue event. In the summer of 2016, Taliaferro traveled to Flint to photograph each woman and learn her story. The 49 portraits that appear in the exhibition reflect women from all stages and walks of life: mothers, daughters, artists, professionals, and community activists. Taliaferro believes that the heart is as essential as the eye for seeing true beauty, noting, “It is with our hearts that we see courage, compassion, love, and sacrifice.”

Women of a New Tribe opens to the public on Sunday, January 22 at the Flint Institute of Arts at 1 p.m. A fully illustrated catalogue featuring images from the exhibit will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition. Women of a New Tribe runs through Saturday, April 15, 2017.

Jerry Taliaferro was born in Brownsville, Tennessee. After graduating high school in May 1972, he joined the Army. His real interest in photography began in 1981 when he was posted to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for Special Forces training. While serving in Germany, his fascination with photography continued to grow and, in 1985, he was published for the first time when a Munich magazine purchased the rights to one of his images