CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 6/13/2025

In Nydia Blas' 'Love, You Came from Greatness,' the title says it all

Nydia Blas’ extraordinary new photobook lives up to its name. Published by Image Text Ithaca Press, Love, You Came from Greatness is the rising Atlanta-based photographer, educator and community organizer’s first major monograph. Born in Ithaca, New York, for this project 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.” Her dedication at the beginning of the book? “To love, for being the only thing that can save us.” 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. Featured here, “Ithaca, New York, 2013. Rosario Williams, my daughter.”