Artist: Kelly Marshall
Medium: photography
Dimensions: 36 x 24 in / 91.4 x 61 cm
Kelly Marshall is a New York based photographer specializing in interiors, travel and portraiture. Her commercial and fine art work are interwoven as she explores inherent belief systems; how they construct our lives, our physical homes and in essence, our everyday reality. Birthing of a Nation is a portrait series documenting Black women on the front lines of the birthing community as a way to bring awareness to the maternal health disparities in this nation. From its inception, the United States has relied on Black women and their bodies in developing its economy and medical system. From that inherently conflicted relationship, forms of healing and mutual aid emerged within Black communities, traditions that continue today as Black women and their health remains underserved before, during, and after pregnancy. Portrait series and documentary, ‘Birthing of a Nation’ by Kelly Marshall reveals this story of radical self-care via the history of birth in America, the birth justice movement and the Black women who continue to carry this work forward.
Learn more about the artist here.