LISA TYUS-LEE Behind Bars | Phototography, metal print | 2020

“This photograph signifies the urgent need for prison reform. African American men represent the largest
number of people incarcerated in US prisons and are at least twice as likely to be profiled by police than
their caucasian male counterparts. When I came upon this composition on a walk, the vibrant, sundrenched
leaves, growing through the black bars, struck me as nature’s depiction of the enduring struggle African
American men have been forced to face for decades. The leaves flickering in the sunlight juxtaposed against
the stark, coldness of the metal bars, conjured a sense of hope that there could be an end to this barbaric,
punitive assault on these men.”
-Lisa Tyus-Lee

Fascinated with nature, human interactions with nature, and the juxtapositions of nature and constructs,
Lisa Tyus-Lee has been composing photographs since her introduction to the medium in a high school class.
When taking pictures, she hopes to create images that slow down time to reveal beauty in the mundane and
to allow viewers to enjoy some of life’s simplicities with wonder. Tyus-Lee is a Columbus native where she
still resides, is happily married, and the mother of two adult children.