Adraint Bereal | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 27th, 1998 (age 23) Waco, Texas |
| Education | The University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupation(s) | Creative, Director, Photographer, Author |
| Notable work | The Black Yearbook |
Adraint Khadafi Bereal (born April 27th, 1998) is a creative who primarily focuses on photography, bookmaking, and graphic design1. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design1. Adraint is most well known for The Black Yearbook, a fine art piece in which he attempts to shed light on the experiences of African American students at his alma mater, The University of Texas, which is a predominantly white institution2.
Education
editAdraint is a first-generation college graduate who began his undergraduate career majoring in government, but after discovering his passion for and talents in photography, he changed his major to a BFA in Design in the College of Fine Arts 18 . At the University of Texas, Adraint was an active member of the university community. He was a member of the Tejas Club, active in student government, and was the co-founder of the first African-American honor society on campus, the Onyx Honor Society 3. In his junior year, he began documenting the lives of his African American peers. This project became the Black Yearbook2.
Career
editPublications
editThe Black Yearbook -
The Black Yearbook is a 360-page large-format book consisting of images and text organized by Adraint that highlights the narratives of black students at the University of Texas2. The artistic work is the culmination of 2 years of work with interviews conducted and portraits taken of over 100 black students2. In it, Adraint showcases the stories and experiences of his African American peers traversing through college life at an institution that is predominantly white4. Less than 5 percent of the total student population at The University of Texas is black, while African Americans in the state of Texas comprise nearly 13 percent of the state's total population 5. The Black Yearbook was featured in publications across the country, including The New York Times2.
The release of the book, in late Summer 2020, coincided with a racial reckoning in the United States where police brutality, systemic racism, and racial bias were top of mind for many Americans with Black Lives Matter protests taking place worldwide after the murder of George Floyd 6. The book was welcomed with warm reception by students and readers alike at a time when the black experience was already in the spotlight 7. In its 360 pages, "The Black Yearbook shows the highs and lows of Black life at a predominantly white college, both the beauty of the campus experience and the stress of having such scant representation" 7.
1.7 -
His 2018 exhibit entitled "1.7" included expressive images taken by Adraint and interviews he conducted with 25 black men1. The project was named "1.7" in reference to the percentage of black males at the University of Texas, which at the time of publication was 1.7 percent of the roughly 52,000 enrolled students. The exhibit was held at the George Washington Carver Museum in Austin, Texas1.
Work
editAs a Director, Adraint has managed the production of several short films. Below is a list of his productions.
| Title | Company | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "The Black Yearbook" (Teaser) | (Independent) | 2020 |
| "The Black Yearbook" | (Independent) | 2020 |
| "Vote Anthem" | Calvin Klein | 2020 |
| "La Haine" | (Independent) | 2020 |
| "From My View, She Moved" | (Independent) | 2020 |
| "Forever Young" | Airbnb | 2020 |
| "Away in Belize" | Away | 2021 |
- Adraint has worked alongside a number of companies and organizations, including Airbnb, Calvin Klein, AT&T, AWAY, Outdoor Voices, and The New York Times1.
- In the Spring of 2021, Adraint signed as a Director with Epoch Films8.
- In 2021, Adraint made several public statements announcing his partnership with Penguin Random House Publishing to author a book. Neither the title of the novel nor any indication of its contents has been shared thus far9.
Features
editAdraint has been featured in The New York Times 2101112, The Atlantic 13, Vice14, Austin American-Statesman15, Texas Monthly16, and The Daily Texan17, among other news publications.
References
edit2.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/08/style/black-yearbook-university-texas-austin.html
3.https://onyxhonorsociety.wixsite.com/website
4.https://www.theblackyearbook.com/
5.https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/TX
6.https://www.nytimes.com/article/george-floyd-protests-timeline.html
7.https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/adraint-khadafhi-bereal-black-yearbook/614188/
10.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/26/style/2020-photos-style.html
13.https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/adraint-khadafhi-bereal-black-yearbook/614188/
14.https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/93y9d3/adraint-bereal-reflects-on-creativity-under-capitalism
16.https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/black-yearbook-ut-am-texas-universities/
18. https://designcreativetech.utexas.edu/video/adraint-bereal