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Barbara DuMetz (born 1947) is an American photographer and pioneer in the field of commercial photography. She began working in Los Angeles as a commercial photographer in the 1970s, when very few women had established and maintained successful careers in the field, especially African-American women. Over the course of her career, "she made a major contribution to diversifying the landscape of images that defined pop culture in the United States." DuMetz is known for her work with African-American celebrities, corporations and images of everyday life in African-American communities. She has won three CEBA awards and a LULU award for her commercial photography. Group shows have included her work in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. Retrospectives of her work have appeared at the Carl Van Vechten Gallery at
Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
in 2014 and at Texas Southern University.


Early life

DuMetz was born in
Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...
, the only girl and second of four children to Eustace T. DuMetz, II, DDS and Constance R. (née Brooks). Her grandfather, Eustace DuMetz, was a free-lance photographer who worked for the '' Pittsburgh Courier'' and '' Charleston Gazette''. When DuMetz was five years old, her family moved to Detroit where she attended school, graduating from Central High School. She attended
Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
in Nashville, Tennessee, majoring in Psychology. After graduating from Fisk University in 1969, she attended the Art Center College of Design, now located in Pasadena, California.


Career

DuMetz has been a professional photographer for more than four decades. Over the course of her career, she has produced award-winning images for advertising agencies including Burrell Advertising, J. P. Martin Associates and InterNorth Corporation. Her photographs have appeared in African-American publications including '' Black Enterprise'', '' Ebony'', '' Essence'', ''
Jet Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to: Aerospace * Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines ** Jet airliner ** Jet engine ** Jet fuel * Jet Airways, an Indian airline * Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline * Journey to Enceladus a ...
'' and '' The Crisis''. She has taken commercial photographs for corporations including The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines and McDonald's Corporation. DuMetz ran and maintained three different photography studios located in the Los Angeles area where she was contracted by department stores, record companies, graphic design studios, advertising agencies, public relations firms, film production companies, actors and business professionals. DuMetz's has shot photo layouts of celebrities and artists and personalities including
Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...
, Ernie Barnes, Bernie Casey, Pam Grier, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Quincy Jones,
Samella Lewis Samella Sanders Lewis (February 27, 1923 – May 27, 2022) was an American visual artist and art historian. She worked primarily as a printmaker and painter. She has been called the "Godmother of African American Art". She received Distinguished ...
,
Ed McMahan William Edwin McMahan (born August 13, 1944) was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's one hundred fifth House district, including constituents in Mecklenburg county. A businessman from Charlotte, ...
, Thelonious Monk,
Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...
, Della Reese, Richard Roundtree,
Betye Saar Betye Irene Saar (born July 30, 1926) is an African-American artist known for her work in the medium of assemblage. Saar is a visual storyteller and an accomplished printmaker. Saar was a part of the Black Arts Movement in the 1970s, which eng ...
,
Charles Wilbert White Charles Wilbert White, Jr. (April 2, 1918 – October 3, 1979) was an American artist known for his chronicling of African American related subjects in paintings, drawings, lithographs, and murals. White's lifelong commitment to chronicling the ...
, and Nancy Wilson. Her show ''The Creators: Photographic Images of Literary, Music and Visual Artists'', at the Southwest Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2015, included images of over two dozen African-American artists whom she has photographed.


References


External links


Barbara DuMetz PhotographySWAC EXHIBITION: BARBARA DUMETZ
Fulton County Arts & Culture *http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/440456-barbara-dumetz "Barbara Dumetz"] at ArtSlant
"Barbara DuMetz Profile Video"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumetz, Barbara American women photographers African-American photographers American photographers 1947 births Living people People from Charleston, West Virginia 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women