Magnum Foundation Announces First Full-time Executive Director!
The Board & President of the Magnum Foundation are pleased to announce the appointment of Kristen Lubben as the organization’s first fulltime Executive Director!
Kristen Lubben is a curator, writer, and editor whose work explores the relationships between photography, art, and politics. Since 1997, Lubben has been a curator at the International Center of Photography in New York, where she has curated over twenty exhibitions, including two triennials of contemporary photography and video, monographic surveys of socially engaged artists, and shows drawn from her research in historical archives, including the ICP’s collections of the work of Robert Capa and Gerda Taro. She is the author of numerous publications, including the award-winning Magnum Contact Sheets.
The Magnum Foundation fosters creativity, innovation, and diversity in the practice of independent documentary photography. Created in 2007 by the members of Magnum Photos, the Foundation supports the next generation of image-makers through grants, training, and mentorship, and preserves the history of documentary photography through archival preservation, research, and publications.
“We’re extremely pleased to have Kristen joining us as our Executive Director,” said photographer Susan Meiselas, the Magnum Foundation’s President. “She’s a tremendous curator and thinker who is also deeply engaged with the exciting changes and opportunities in photography today. We’re confident that Kristen shares the values upon which the Foundation was founded, and that those shared values will ground the organization as we continue to innovate and experiment.”
Meiselas, who has led the organization since its founding, will remain its President and will stay closely involved with Lubben, Director of Programs Emma Raynes, and the Board and staff of the Magnum Foundation as it embarks on the next stage of its growth and development.
“I am excited to be joining such a creative and risk-taking team,” said Lubben. “Over the past few years, my own work has been inspired and challenged by the new models the Magnum Foundation has piloted to expand the possibilities for visual storytelling. I look forward to working with the staff and board, as well as the Foundation’s many collaborating partners, to build on the strong base they have established.”
“Over the past two decades, Kristen’s expertise, intelligence and passion for photography have been invaluable for ICP,” said ICP Executive Director Mark Lubell. “We congratulate her on her new role and look forward to working with her and the Magnum Foundation in the future.”
For inquiries or additional information, please contact Simone Salvo, Manager of Operations and Communications, at simone@magnumfoundation.org