The Photographer as Advocate: a discussion about enacting change, March 5, 2022

The Photographer as Advocate: a discussion about enacting change is a panel with photographers , , , and , moderated by independent curator and art historian Alison Nordström. The event will be a timely conversation about using art as a way to support struggling communities, advocate for the environment, and engage in a wide range of activism.

Photography boasts a rich history of practitioners whose work is pivotal in enacting change on issues ranging from human rights and social reform to environmental justice. In the early 20th century, Lewis Hine's investigative photographs contributed to labor reform and the photographers working under the auspices of the Farm Security Administration created compelling portraits of a rural America that still inform ideas regarding poverty and the role of government aid during crises. More recently, Sebastião Salgado's photographs are stunning reminders of a natural world in the throes of a man-made destruction and Latoya Ruby Frazier reverses the role of photographer-as-observer by advocating for a historically marginalized community from within. Employing imagery in service of advocacy emphasizes the ability of the photographer and their work to play a role in strengthening community and generating advances in the world around them.

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