Janna Ireland: True Story Index

Janna Ireland, Index (Chandelier), from the series The Spotless Mirror, 2011-2013. Archival pigment print. SBMA, Museum purchase, Eric A. Skipsey Acquisition Fund. © Janna Ireland

Janna Ireland, Hillside Memorial Park, Number 2, from the series Regarding Paul R. Williams, 2019. Archival pigment print. SBMA, Museum Purchase, Eric A. Skipsey Acquisition Fund. © Janna Ireland

Janna Ireland, The Black Suit, from the series The Spotless Mirror, 2012. Chromogenic print. Courtesy of Janna Ireland. © Janna Ireland

Janna Ireland, Hancock Park, Number 1, from the series Regarding Paul R. Williams, 2016. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of Janna Ireland. © Janna Ireland

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) and Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara (MCASB) present the solo artist exhibition Janna Ireland: True Story Index, representing a landmark two-institution collaboration, presentation, and catalogue.

Curated by Charles Wylie, SBMA Curator of Photography and New Media, and Frederick Janka, MCASB, this exhibition is a mid-career survey and the largest presentation of Ireland’s photographs and installations to date. The exhibition features newly commissioned works and works from the artist’s collection, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s permanent collection, and private collections.

Janna Ireland’s photographic practice is primarily concerned with the themes of family, home, and the expression of Black identity in American culture. In 2016, she began photographing structures designed by legendary Black architect Paul R. Williams. A collection of 250 of these photographs was published in the major 2020 monograph, Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View. These multiple aspects of Ireland’s work will be featured and interwoven across both venues.

Janna Ireland lives in Los Angeles, where she is an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Occidental College. A broad selection of Ireland’s work was included in the exhibition Family Album: Dannielle Bowman, Janna Ireland and Contemporary Works from LACMA at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Charles White Elementary School Gallery. Ireland’s photographs are held in the permanent collections of institutions including LACMA, the Nevada Museum of Art, the California African American Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago.

This exhibition was made possible by the generosity of Rachel Kaganoff, Joan Davidson, Jane and Michael G. Wilson through the Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Charitable Foundation, Junie and Eddie Jinkins, Joanne and Gregory Payne, Isabel and Paul Wendt, and SBMA PhotoFutures.

Free* docent-led gallery tours are conducted daily and meet in Ludington Court near the State Street entrance. Tours provide an engaging opportunity to experience and discuss a variety of works in a relaxed, informal setting.