Congratulations to Jonathan Traviesa on becoming the Michael P. Smith Fund For Documentary Photography Grant Recipient for 2009.
His project is titled: “New Portraits in New Orleans.”
Summary: To continue an ongoing environmental portrait project but with a new shift: documenting the newest residents of New Orleans – ones that have helped rebuild and restructure the city in positive ways.
“Traviesa’s portraits of his community in New Orleans demonstrate artistic maturity, a welcome collaboration with his subjects, and a long-term commitment to documenting the social facts of life in New Orleans today. The photographs delight the eye and thrill the heart. In addition, they reflect something often lost in contemporary art practice: patience and real communication between artist and sitter. In essence, Traviesa allows himself to be a medium through which he and the residents of New Orleans can express their desires, worries, thoughts, and dreams.” – Jeff L. Rosenheim, Curator, Department of Photographs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
See a list of finalists here.
The Michael P. Smith Fund For Documentary Photography (MPS Fund) was created by the New Orleans Photo Alliance to honor the life and work of Michael P. Smith, one of New Orleans’ most legendary and beloved documentary photographers. The MPS Fund awards one $5000 grant annually to a Gulf Coast photographer whose work combines artistic excellence and a sustained commitment to a long-term cultural documentary project.
Both emerging and established photographers residing in the Gulf Coast states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are eligible to apply. The subject matter for the proposed project is not limited to the Gulf Coast region.
For more information about the MPS Fund or if you wish to make a contribution please contact us at MPSFund@neworleansphotoalliance.org