For Immediate Release:
Jeff L. Rosenheim of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will be Inaugural Juror for the Michael P. Smith Grant for Documentary Photography
The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) is proud to announce that Jeff L. Rosenheim, Curator, Department of Photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY, will be the inaugural juror of the Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography (MPS Fund). This fund, established by NOPA to honor the legendary New Orleans photographer Michael P. Smith, will award 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.
The New Orleans Photo Alliance will award one $5000 grant annually to a photographer residing in the Gulf Coast states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Both emerging and established photographers are eligible to apply. The subject matter for the proposed project is not limited to the Gulf Coast region. NOPA will accept grant applications beginning June 1, 2009 and ending September 1, 2009.
NOPA will announce the winner during this year’s PhotoNOLA festival in December 2009. For submission guidelines and to download an application form, visit the Michael P. Smith Fund’s website at https://neworleansphotoalliance.org/grants/MPS_Fund/index.php.
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.
For more information, contact Lori Waselchuk at 225-907-6695, email MPSFund@neworleansphotoalliance.org, or visit the MPS Fund’s website https://neworleansphotoalliance.org/grants/MPS_Fund/index.php.