The Photographer as Advocate: A Discussion About Enacting Change

"The Photographer as Advocate: A Discussion About Enacting Change" is a panel with photographers Edward Boches, Brian Palmer, Thaddeus Miles and Allison Cekala, moderated by independent curator and art historian Alison Nordström on Saturday, March 5. Hosted by the Photographic Resource Center, the panel will be a timely conversation about using art as a way to support struggling communities, advocate for the environment plus engage in a wide range of activism. This event will be held in-person at District Hall Boston and will also be broadcast as a real-time Zoom event. Purchase tickets to the in-person discussion and virtual broadcast.

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 as well as their work to play a role in strengthening community and generating advances in the world around them.