Keep Living by D'yanis Reed

"Just keep living."

Those are the words that D'yanis Reed's late grandmother would comfort her with as child. These words have stuck with her and offered inspiration for her exhibit Keep Living.

Photography found its way into Reed's life early. "Even when I was a little kid, I used to carry a camera around...I just knew photography was right for me," says Reed. Originally from Blythewood, SC, Reed's mother and grandmother inspired her to keep pursuing the passion as she grew older.

Reed decided to study photography at The Art Institute of Charleston. She's has found magic in using her camera to document the stories of others; this series turns her lens to the story of our local Black Farmers and land stewards.

Keep Living explores Black life as it pertains to regenerative farming practices, best practices within the Black community, capturing community, sustainability, and land preservation efforts. The exhibit highlights the good in growing and being environmentally conscious in the mist of a tech-driven society and finds humanity in self-sustainment through the African experience.

The number of black farms have plummeted over the last century. Farmers of color now account for a mere 2% of the agricultural land. Reed understands the importance of Black farmers and land stewards and hopes to continue sharing this collection of work to build awareness around this issue.

"They are literally growing things and protecting our planet and it starts with the foods that we eat," explains Reed. "We have to eat to keep living."

Reed has compiled a collection of interview audio with the farmers to accompany the exhibit.

Learn more about D'yanis and view more of her work here.

Click here to learn more about Arts Council exhibits.