Aubrey Dawne Edwards is a veteran photographer, public cultural anthropologist, historical archaeologist, storyteller, researcher, mapmaker, naturalist, and educator. She holds an Associate of Applied Science in Photography (ACC), a Bachelor of Journalism (UT) and a Master of Science in Urban Studies (UNO), and a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Technology (UWYO). She is presently completing thesis research for her Master of Arts in Anthropology and Environment and Natural Resources with a focus on community archaeology at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.
Edwards’ work intersects the academic, creative, applied, and public spheres.
Her present research interests include: the archaeology of capitalism and wage work, collectivism and socialism on the Western frontier, and interdisciplinary, community-rooted memory keeping practices on landscapes of labor, organizing and white racist violence. She is presently listening to workers in Southwest Wyoming and Northeast Pennsylvania, documenting voices around changing labor environments in historically coal-centered economies.
Her editorial and commercial photography client list includes: BBC, Comedy Central, Esquire, Fender Guitars, The Grammys, HBO, Magnolia Pictures, Nike, Playboy, Red Bull, The United Nations, Time, Volcom and innumerable magazines and record labels. Her collaborators have ranged from Spike Lee to Rebecca Solnit to the Smithsonian Institution. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and residencies, has exhibited nationally and internationally, and has taught visual art to learners ages 6-70 years old.
Aubrey is a youth advocate and a healing-centered / trauma-informed arts educator. She has worked with young people and cocreated space in an array of capacities for over 20 years. She loves using her background in anthropology to connect organizations, policy makers, artists and teachers in jointly amplifying youth voice and action. She is the cofounder of Laramie’s annual Youth Justice Institute where young folks learn about their rights while making media and interrogating the state’s juvenile justice system, centering their voices in conversations around juvenile justice reform in Wyoming.