Boyd’s Station is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Boyd’s Station Project 306.36 Ed Reinke and Tim Dillon Visual Storytelling grants awarded to college photojournalism students annually to photograph and document Harrison County, Kentucky as part of the Project 306.36 ongoing archive project.
Chloe Trofatter, a Master's of Arts in Journalism student at Michigan State University, originally from Northern Michigan, is awarded the $3,000 Reinke Grant for Visual Storytelling by Boyd's Station to take part in Project 306.36 during the summer of 2024. Trofatter began working as a photojournalist at an early age as an intern photographer in high school at her Northern Michigan hometown newspaper founded by her grandfather. Trofatter will begin working in Harrison County beginning June 1, 2024, following graduation from Michigan State University in May.
“Boyd’s Station forces its participants to slow down and really become a part of the community they’re documenting. To do true documentary work, especially for three months straight, you have to earn the trust of your subjects. They must be a willing participant and therefore a collaborator to the story you’re trying to tell. That kind of trust can only come from true intentions. This project also proves that every community has a story that is worth telling - and if you can't find one, chances are you're not looking hard enough.”
John Stember, a Master's in Environmental Journalism student at the University of Montana, is awarded the $3,000 Tim Dillon Storytelling Grant. John will begin his work documenting Harrison County beginning June 1, 2024.
“Back in 2015, I decided to bicycle by myself 2,000 miles from Minnesota to Oregon to get to know the United States. I knocked on strangers’ doors, slept in churches, dropped into community birthdays and fish fries, and traveled through Native American reservations. I found there's no better way to get to know a place than at 10 mph. I also learned how to walk up and talk to people.
This experience of traveling through rural communities, unfettered and on the ground, was my first attempt at chewing through Americana. I'm curious about people's lives, especially off the beaten track, and I love to listen. In addition, I’m not afraid to take big things and break them down into bite-sized pieces.”
Trofatter and Stember represent the 6th class of accomplished students at Boyd’s Station and Project 306.36. Our alumni have gone on to become professional photographers, writers, and artists throughout the country, and continue giving back to the program.
The Boyd’s Station Project 306.36 Visual Documentary Program is the annual archive project focused solely on documenting the people and places of Harrison County, Kentucky, creating an archive of these student journalists' work while providing world-class mentoring and guidance to this next generation of storytellers.
TIM DILLON AND ED REINKE VISUAL STORYTELLING GRANTS
To learn more about Project 306.36 and the namesakes of these visual storytelling grants - Ed Reinke and Tim Dillon, please visit www.boydsstation.org/about-306
USA TODAY Photojouralist Tim Dillon
Associated Press Photojournalist Ed Reinke
LEARN MORE ABOUT PROJECT 306.36
Project 306.36 Visual Storytelling Grants Alumni
www.boydsstation.org/alumni
