Michael P. Smith Fund
The Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography (MPS Fund) was created to honor the life and work of Michael P. Smith, one of New Orleans’ most legendary and beloved documentary photographers. The MPS Fund awards cash prizes and exhibition opportunities to Gulf Coast photographers whose work combines artistic excellence and a sustained commitment to a cultural documentary project.
Juror:
Alyssa Ortega Coppelman
Alyssa Ortega Coppelman is a photography consultant and photo editor based in Austin, Texas. She edits and sequences photobooks, crafting a cohesive flow from photographic bodies of work for publication in book form. She has been Art Editor at Oxford American magazine, where she focuses on inclusive representation and creative pairing of existing artwork for publication with stories on a wide variety of topics. She has also interviewed artists for published features.
For 21 years, Alyssa worked with Harper’s Magazine—most recently as Deputy Art Director—and continues to freelance for them. She has also worked at National Geographic as a senior photo editor, and as Archival Producer for PBS NewsHour’s Emmy-nominated interview series, Brief But Spectacular, sourcing archival and artistic visuals for each episode. Several artists she pitched as guests on the show were featured in episodes.
Finally, Alyssa loves speaking to photography students about their works-in-progress and potential career paths; and enjoys the intensity of teaching day-long photo-editing workshops.
Holding Ground: On Gathering
The New Orleans Photo Alliance invites photographers to explore gathering as both a hidden influence and a beacon of resilience.
From elite networks wielding unchecked global power to community demonstrations of joy and protest — including Mardi Gras here in our own city — we seek images that reflect how communities, large and small, convene in an uncertain world.
We welcome abstract or expansive interpretations of gathering: from data collection by technology companies, to intentional arrangements for still life, to collective order in nature. Submissions may reflect contemporary themes, unity, or collective presence.
Juror:
Daniella Zalcman
Daniella Zalcman is a Vietnamese-American documentary photographer based in New Orleans. She is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University and the founder of Women Photograph, a nonprofit working to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists. Her visual work tends to focus on the legacies of western colonization, from the rise of homophobia in Uganda to the coercive assimilation of Indigenous children in North America.
Light on Cut Paper: Photography & Collage
Photography and collage have a long history of being in dialogue with one another; however, the intersection of these two mediums is poorly explored. New Orleans Photo Alliance and Kolaj Institute are working together to investigate the intersection of this medium. We are seeking work by artists who collage their own photographs, make photomontage, use a collage-like process in either the composition of photographs or in the dark room. We are open to any artwork where the artist feels the image speaks to this intersection. In addition to sending images, the artist must provide a brief statement that explains why they feel this artwork is an example of photography and collage.
Juror:
Jan Kather
http://jankatherphotography.com/
Jan Kather has been teaching media arts and humanities courses at Elmira College, Elmira, NY, since 1979. Branching out from traditional darkroom photography, she became involved in global collaborations, including Berkeley Commonplace projects such as Fragments, Subject Matters, and the Round Table Collaboration Postal Collage Project. She has been a board member of Berkeley Commonplace since its founding in 2021. After participating in Kolaj’s 2024 Photography and Collage online residency, she developed a new awareness about her own history as a photographer, and seriously explored the concept of “in-camera” collage. Three of her pieces from this study are currently on exhibit in the City Hall, Elmira, NY.
