CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 2/1/2025

A memorable first monograph from Nydia Blas

New from the photobook lover-savants of Image Text Ithaca Press, Love, You Came from Greatness is the first major monograph on rising photographer, community organizer and Atlanta-based educator Nydia Blas. Born in Ithaca, New York, Blas returned to her hometown to explore her past and present roots, going back more than a century. This quietly profound artist’s book blends new and archival photographs to produce a meaningful portrait over generations. “It is so important to keep saying that there is power in looking, and that your viewpoint is really important,” Blas is quoted. “And that what you have to say is really important. For Black women, we’ve learned not to take charge or not to think that the things that we are making, or the things that we have to say, are important. So, there’s this really special authority that happens when you have a camera because you’re in charge, you’re the boss, you’re the one in control.” The ingenious production of the book is also worth noting. Perfect-bound with silkscreen on gold paper and cloth-wrapped boards, it is all and only its own. Pictured here, “Ithaca, New York, 2013. Rosario Williams, my daughter.”