WHAT SHE LOOKIN' AT!

This wood collage was acquired in 2024 from the Stella Jones Art Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Lavett Ballard's childhood summers spent at her family's Virginia farm instilled in her a profound appreciation for her ancestral history. There, she absorbed stories of her ancestors’ efforts to secure the property and the historic "Big House" constructed by her great-grandmother's sons. This immersion in family history and visual narratives ignited her passion for storytelling through art. Inspired by the log cabin and the wood that characterized her summers, Ballard focuses on exploring African American female self-identity. She has developed a photographic catalog showcasing female figures from the African diaspora, skillfully merging collage, painting, and deconstruction to reinterpret historical narratives. By utilizing reclaimed wood fences as representations of societal boundaries, Ballard constructs these pieces as "altars" that honor the resilience and self-identity of her subjects.