Bio:

Debra Roberson was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but spent summers and holidays in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where her parents are from and where her grandparents lived. Debra’s parents moved to Natchitoches to start a church and Debra graduated from Natchitoches Central High School her senior year in 1985. Debra received a BA from Dartmouth College in 1989 and a MA from Wheaton College in 1991. Debra Roberson was an IT Analyst for about 25 years and then she decided she wanted to pursue her first love- photography and graphic design. She subsequently attended Bossier Parish Community College and received an Associate Degree of Applied Science in Communication Media from Bossier Parish Community College in 2021. Debra entered her photography in Critical Mass 8, 9 and 10. She received honorable mention the first two years and then won Critical Mass X critic’s choice in Visual Arts in February 2022. Debra Roberson completed a solo exhibition at Artspace called, “Cane River Chronicles: Unveiled,” in 2022. Debra Roberson was selected for the Irene Rosenzweig exhibition class of 2023. Her work appears at the Arts and Sciences Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas until October 2023.


Artist Statement :

I like telling stories with my camera as a documentary photographer recording past and current history through my lens. The things I choose to record/ design are of a time not so long ago, in the lives of African Americans whether on a plantation, "getting religion" on a Sunday morning, or just a day in the life. My parents grew up on plantations and I am the first generation not to. This history has influenced my outlook on life, and I want to capture these frames of time in the hope of leaving a legacy for future generations. I do this because I love uplifting people. I love to give back to the community and I want to encourage others to do the same.

"Those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it" - George Santayana