AMERICA REIMAGINED Documentary Project Launched
BOYD’S STATION AND AMERICAN REPORTAGE LAUNCH NEW PHOTOGRAPHIC PROJECT: AMERICA REIMAGINED
Newly launched curation gives voice to emerging photojournalists documenting dramatic changes in daily life across America – from grappling with a global pandemic to the fight for social justice – while creating lasting archive of photographs and narratives
[BOYD, KY July 18, 2020] – Boyd’s Station and American Reportage are proud to announce the launch of AMERICA REIMAGINED, a curation and archival project aimed at showcasing the work of emerging photojournalists and preserving the images and narratives that offer an intimate look at the ways Americans are grappling with, and adjusting to, this disruptive moment in history. AMERICA REIMAGINED documents how life reacts and evolves with each new challenge – from the COVID-19 pandemic which pushed the country into its homes and social distancing to the fight for social justice which reunited millions in protest and solidarity in streets across the country.
AMERICA REIMAGINED is Boyd’s Station’s innovative effort to engage, motivate, mentor and give voice to emerging photojournalists documenting dramatic changes in daily life across America in 2020 and beyond. The project’s mission is to document a country in transition and record the next chapter of history.
Violet Spencer, 4, left, Josephine Spencer, 6, Jack Spencer, 4, Eloise Turner, 7, and Charlotte Turner, 5, right, pile into Travis and Dianna Spencer’s 1959 Ford Edsel Ranger to watch the 2019 production of The Addams Family at the South Drive-In Theater in Columbus, Ohio, on May 23, 2020. While the South Drive-in Theater was open to the public, certain policies were in place, including requiring masks to purchase snacks, space between cars and space between patrons using the restrooms. (Photograph by Gaelen Morse)
“For three years, Boyd’s Station has provided a range of mentorship programs and opportunities to emerging artists and student journalists as a way to foster their careers and passion in the arts and journalism,” said Jack Gruber, Founder and Director of Boyd’s Station, and a staff photographer at USA TODAY. “Like many organizations, Boyd’s Station was not immune to the impact of the global pandemic, and we had to cancel our signature events for 2020. But, as all aspiring and veteran photojournalists know, when the story changes, you follow it. I’m enormously proud of our all-volunteer staff’s efforts to innovate and provide ongoing opportunities to the next generation of visual storytellers.”
“Our mission at American Reportage is all about filling the gap,” said Pete Marovich, founding member. “Since our founding, we have filled the gaps in reporting and documenting that exist from the consolidation of the newspaper and magazine business that have left so many newsrooms decimated – so the partnership with Boyd’s Station to lift up the voices and storytelling of these young photojournalists from our platform felt like a natural fit for us. As careered photojournalists, we know the impact that mentorship can have in the lives of young people. It is more important than ever, from both the perspective of preserving our craft and creating an archive of this important moment in time, that we invest in the next generation of photojournalists.”
Boyd’s Station initially invited each of the one hundred plus students who applied for the Project 306.36 grants over the past three years to take part in this project. Realizing the scope and educational enrichment this project could provide, the open invitation expanded. The student participants from across the US will join member photojournalists from American Reportage along with a diverse, experienced and awarding winning collection of professional editors and photojournalists as mentors. American Reportage will present this work on the collective’s website.
Photographers interested in contributing to the AMERICA REIMAGINED project should contact Boyd’s Station directly at submit@boydsstation.com for details.
About Boyd’s Station
Boyd’s Station – a Kentucky nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization – offers emerging artists and student journalists a rural and serene environment to “live free and create” through residence programs to pursue the individual’s craft seeking self-sustaining careers in the arts and journalism.
The Boyd’s Station 306.36 Visual Documentary Project awards the Reinke Grant for Visual Storytelling to two visual documentary students each year along with the Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship awarded to a student writer to take part in creating an archive in time of the people and places within the nearly 306 square miles of rural Harrison County, Kentucky while providing an unprecedented learning opportunity through professional mentoring for these emerging journalists.
The Boyd’s Station PLACE+SPACE Creative Residence program provides artist no cost studio space and no cost housing in the village of Boyd, Kentucky for student and emerging professional visual and literary artists.
Boyd’s Station creative residences are not intended as retreats. If anything, the residency opportunities should be characterized as ‘helping hands” to emerging artists unable to fully pursue their vision due in part to basic financial constraints or lack of adequate creative space.
The overall hope of Boyd’s Station is to create a “community of collaboration” among diverse artists, journalists and the Harrison County community fostering an environment for creation of real, individual works for the benefit of the artist and journalist while bringing the gift of art and community journalism to Harrison County, Kentucky.
About American Reportage
In recent years, magazines and newspapers have cut their budgets and reduced their staff sizes. Many publications no longer have the resources to provide comprehensive coverage of American culture and investigative reporting of key issues facing the nation, leaving a void in the national dialog.
Dedicated to storytelling that is important and critical to the country, American Reportage fills this gap. Members of the collective produce in-depth stories that amplify the voices of people and communities that may otherwise go unheard.
As independent photojournalists, members are committed to doing the groundwork that leads to rich, thoughtful, and engaging content. They embed themselves into stories to understand and convey the intricacies of complex issues.
Collaborating together and with publications that value this kind of work, American Reportage members deliver reporting that accurately captures the mood and fabric of the American experience and brings it to the forefront of the public’s consciousness.
A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU!
This project and work done by Boyd’s Station and American Reportage would not be possible without the generous support from PhotoShelter, the official provider of both organization’s archive systems – powered PhotoShelter for Brands
www.boydsstation.org | www.americanreportage.com
Media Inquiries - Contact: Jack Gruber, Boyd’s Station jack@boydsstation.com
Photographer Contributor Inquiries - Email: submit@boydsstation.com