Dr. Shawn Renee Forman is a Detroit-based artist who has honed her skills as a fine art and cultural photographer since 1979 when she received her first camera, a Pentax K1000. With a focus on capturing candid photographs of people in their everyday lives, both locally and internationally, she strives to highlight overlooked social issues, reveal the beauty in unexpected places, and provide thought-provoking opportunities for connection.

Keepers of the Earth is a body of work developed over 16 years and across 10 countries (Ghana, Morrocco, Japan, Cuba, South Africa, Thailand, France, United States, Costa Rica, and Italy) capturing images that embody the essence of the female spirit as goddesses, mothers, caregivers, guardians of resources, bearers of traditions and knowledge, symbols of fertility, and all facets of creation. These images depict matriarchs who have or will pave the way for humanity's existence while maintaining the Earth's balance.