Grandma Ruby and Me, 2005
Gelatin silver print
14 × 17 ½ in.
February 24, 2024
This compelling photograph is from LaToya Ruby Frazier’s series The Notion of Family (2001-2014), in which she depicts herself and family members like her Grandma Ruby, whom we see here. The family home in Braddock, Pennsylvania, served as the setting for this series. Familial portraits like this one are situated in a broader context within the series, where Frazier highlights the under-recognized lives and contributions of the Black working class residents of Braddock which, like many Rust Belt cities, suffered a sharp decline due to deindustrialization. The warm bonds of family are juxtaposed with the struggles and hardships endured by a community which is deeply marked by economic strife.
The photograph captures the weight of lived experience in Ruby’s wary demeanor, which is contrasted by LaToya's more open expression as the author of the photograph (the shutter release can be seen in her right hand). A mixture of intimacy and self-possession is conveyed, as both women look straight at the camera and lock eyes with the viewer, communicating the desire for recognition and empathy that shaped this celebrated body of work.
The Museum of Modern Art will be presenting LaToya Ruby Frazier: Monuments of Solidarity, the artist’s first museum survey, from May 12 through September 7, 2024.
