The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) has begun accepting applications for the second annual grant of the Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography (MPS Fund). Through the MPS Fund, established in honor of legendary New Orleans photographer Michael P. Smith, NOPA awards one $5,000 grant annually to a Gulf Coast photographer whose work combines artistic excellence and a sustained commitment to a long-term cultural documentary project.
NOPA will accept applications from January 1, 2011 to February 28, 2011.
Photographers residing in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are eligible to apply. For submission guidelines and information, please visit:
www.neworleansphotoalliance.org/grants/MPS_Fund/index.php.
Tom Rankin, the Director of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, will be the finalists’ juror. The preliminary panel that will select the finalists includes: Stella Kramer, independent editor, editor of Fraction J; Gina Martin, Photographer Representative, National Geographic Image Collection, and Kevin Miller, Director of the Southeast Museum of Photography.
Jonathan Traviesa won the inaugural 2009 grant for his project of environmental portraits, “New Portraits in New Orleans”. Juror Jeff L. Rosenheim, Curator, Department of Photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, selected Traviesa’s project from ten finalists. Traviesa’s portfolio and proposal are posted on the NOPA website.
Michael P. Smith (1937–2008), a New Orleans native and award-winning professional freelance photographer, spent a lifetime capturing the music, culture and folk life of New Orleans and Louisiana. Smith photographed every New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival from its inception in 1970 until his retirement in 2004, when he was honored with a major exhibition at the Fair Grounds. In a brilliant career that spanned more than four decades, Smith was an inspiration, a role model and a mentor to many photographers in New Orleans and beyond.
The New Orleans Photo Alliance is a diverse group of photographers who joined forces in 2006 to create unity and opportunity for photographers in the Gulf South. NOPA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that includes more than 300 members from across Louisiana and the United States. Since its inception, NOPA has sponsored photographic exhibitions, workshops and educational programs. It also coordinates PhotoNOLA, the annual photography festival held each December at venues throughout New Orleans.
Questions?
Contact Lori Waselchuk at MPSFund@neworleansphotoalliance.org.
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New Orleans Photo Alliance
1111 St. Mary St.
NOLA 70130
Gallery Hours:
Sat & Sun 12-4 or by appointment
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