ABOUT
Iyana Esters is a visual storyteller from the United States. She received her B.S. in Community Health Sciences from the University of Nevada, Reno and her M.P.H. in Behavioral, Social, and Community Health from Indiana University.
Iyana combines art with her background in folk herbalism and environmental health, using photography as a lens of storytelling to capture human’s connection with nature. She experiments with a multitude of photographic processes including documentary, natural plant materials, and historical photo mural projects, with an emphasis on highlighting stories about gender, sexuality, and ancestry in the Black/ Afrodiaspora.
CV
HONORS + AWARDS
2021 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Semi-Finalist
2020 Jackson Wild Fellow
2020 Diversify Photo, Up Next Candidate
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Birthed from the soil, Front Door Gallery at the Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno, NV
2022 Las Olas Del Mar, Metro City Gallery at Reno City Hall, Reno, NV
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Lilley Co-Lab, Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno, NV
2021 From Tulsa to Minneapolis: Photographing The Long Road To Justice, Social Documentary Network, Boston, MA
2020 Every One Of Us, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, Philadelphia, PA
2020 Open Studio Art Exhibition, Artemesia Studios, Reno, NV
2019 Wing Young Huie: What Do You See?, Landmark Center, St. Paul, MN
PUBLIC ART
2023 Holland Project Gallery, Reno, NV
2023 Wedekind Road Art Project, Reno, NV
WORKSHOPS + TRAININGS
2023, 2022, 2021 National Geographic Storytellers Summit
2022 Intensive Editing Workshop, Natalie Keyssar + Daniella Zalcman
2020 International Women Media Foundation, HEFAT Trainee
INTERVIEWS
2022 Masterpeace Studio: F☮cus - Iyana Esters
2021 Photo House South: Get To Know - Iyana Esters
PUBLICATIONS + FEATURES
2023 Double Scoop: Ancestral knowledge
2022 Revista ViveAfro: Las olas entre Nuquí y Reno, repasamos la obra de Iyana Esters
2022 KOLO 8: Art exhibit of teen Colombian surfers at Reno City Hall gallery
2022 Revista ViveAfro: Sanar la pérdida en el terreno fértil de la hermandad
2021 Revista ViveAfro: Afritofusión de la cantautora Marsh Waris
2021 ZEKE Magazine: Contributors From Tulsa To Minneapolis Photographing the Long Road to Justice
2019 Memorable in motion: Our 10 favorite videos of 2019
2019 Photographers work with noted St. Paul artist Wing Young Huie for exhibit at Landmark
2019 Broadening the circle of competitive swimming