Janna Ireland

Janna Ireland is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Art History at Occidental College, where she has been appointed since 2022. Holding a BFA from New York University and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles, her work centers on photography as a medium for exploring identity, geography, and architectural history.

Her research and practice focus on the intersections of self-representation, Black architecture, and Los Angeles' socio-cultural landscapes. Notably, she has extensively photographed structures designed by Paul R. Williams, resulting in the 2020 monograph Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer's View. Her exhibitions have traveled nationally, including to the Nevada Museum of Art, AIA Center for Architecture in New York, and Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Ireland’s awards include the 2021 Peter E. Pool Research Fellowship and the 2023 Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Art Prize. Her photographs are held in prestigious collections such as LACMA, SFMOMA, and the California African American Museum.