“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
Photographer
Velma J. McDermott, born in Claremore, OK, is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation tribe of Oklahoma. She began studying photography in 2014, completing her undergraduate degree in 2018 at Florida International University in Miami, FL, where she was honored with the Betty Laird Perry Award. Following the completion of her academic studies, McDermott’s photography was one of the students selected to participate in the 29th Annual University Student Exhibition at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL.
Exhibitions
A Pandemic Picture Show: FIU Alumni and More. The Glenn Gallery - Florida International University. 2021
Women on the Inside: Selections from the Collections of the Frost Art Museum - Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum. May 8, 2021 - August 1, 2021
29th Annual University Student Exhibition - Juried. Atlantic Center for the Arts. May 19 - August 11, 2018, Juror Dana Hoey
Florida International University - BFA Spring Thesis Exhibition. March 14 - April 13, 2018. Betty Laird Perry Award Recipient
Step Up 38th Annual Student Exhibition - Juried. Broward College, March 3 – April 13, 2016, Juror Tami Katz-Frieman “Back Here Again” (Honorable Mention Award)
I.D.: 37th Annual Student Exhibition - Juried. Broward College, March 12 – April 15, 2015, Juror Jacek Kolasinksi “Untitled Gelatin Silver Print”
Perspectives, Student Photography Exhibition, February 10, 2015 "Back Here Again"