American photographer Janet Delaney documents cities in transition with formal rigor and sensitivity. She is perhaps best known for her studies of gentrification: In the 1970s and ’80s, she captured the rise of gentrification of the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood in San Francisco, showing how the community was reshaped as new developments—and rising rent prices—forced out residents and small businesses. Equally informed by a rigorous photography education (her instructors had been students of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston) and the 60s counterculture milieu she grew up in, Janet’s style bridges fine art and documentary practices. Janet featured on WePresent as part of Refocus, a 2018 initiative to showcase photographic talent from under-represented groups. We gave three grants to three photographers who've seen the industry change over the years, and whose talent is all the better for it.
Stories with Janet Delaney