Toni Lane

A native of Southeast Washington, DC, Toni Lane began studying photography at the University of the District of Columbia. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, including with artist Robert Colescott, and received her BFA in photography in 1983. Lane taught high school art classes, drove a taxi, and opened the Ethnic Trip Cultural Art gallery in San Francisco in 1991. In 1998, Lane moved to France for six years before returning to Washington, DC. After suffering a brain aneurysm in 2006 and receiving a bipolar diagnosis several years later, Lane began working with Art Enables, a program dedicated to creating opportunities for artists with disabilities. Lane makes bold linocuts and paintings, often depicting the experiences of Black women and girls. She published her first novel, Ghetto Girls Rule, in Marseille, France.