See work by our 2021 Photography and Social Justice Fellows
Victor Zea
Magnum Foundation is very pleased to share a preview of the projects developed during our 2021 Photography and Social Justice Fellowship — powerful work by talented photographers, artists, and activists who challenge injustice, pursue social equity, and advance human rights through photography.
Over the course of this rigorous fellowship, the fellows explored innovative ways creative storytellers can lead and enact change. They received specialized training on new approaches to socially engaged documentary practice, led by Fred Ritchin, Dean Emeritus of the International Center of Photography (ICP) School; before embarking on an intensive months-long project development process with mentorship from former PSJ fellow Sim Chi Yin and Magnum Foundation board members Sohrab Hura and Newsha Tavakolian.
This process challenged the fellows to reevaluate and expand their approaches to making work, often creating more questions than answers. Against the backdrop of an ongoing global pandemic that limited the ability to gather in-person, the fellows built a tight-knit community that energized and supported one another as they navigated the ebbs and flows of exploring new approaches and ideas while simultaneously producing a long-form project. As fellow Citlali Fabián shared, “I'm very grateful for this opportunity to reflect on my own practice, to question everything I have done and will do. Practicing photography will never be the same. I started thinking I would go out into the world, but instead, I turned into myself. I embraced my fears and vulnerability, and I had the chance for the first time to validate the active role that my fellows and I play in our communities with our work. I'm finishing the program with fresh eyes and inspired by the amazing creators that I'm proud to call family.”
We hope you’ll join us in congratulating our fellows on their outstanding work!
“This program is created from a human and humble point of view. Social justice is not only a practice that is done outwards, denouncing inequities and injustices, but also inwards in the ways in which we relate, in the ways in which we work with colleagues, in the ways in which we learn and appreciate each other needs for producing, have off time and resting as well and being aware of our own mental health. I believe that this program incorporates that concept in all its magnitude.”
Sketch by Isadora Romero
Fellowship cohort digital self portrait
Magnum Foundation’s Photography and Social Justice Program expands diversity and creativity in the field of documentary photography through capacity-building and critical explorations of photography and social change. The program supports a diverse, international group of Photography and Social Justice Fellows who are passionate about challenging injustice, pursuing social equality, and advancing human rights through photography. This program is made possible by the generous support of the Genevieve McMillan-Reba Stewart Foundation, The Rosenthal Family Foundation, The Achelis and Bodman Foundation, and Select Equity Group Foundation.
With over ten years passed since this program’s inception, in 2022 Magnum Foundation is collaborating with alumni to evaluate and enrich this program for the future. We look forward to relaunching the fellowship in 2023!