ReFOCUS

ReFOCUS

The MyNew Orleans Photo Project 

Links:

Social Media: @myneworleansphotoproject

Gospel Singers. Photo & narrative by Dwayne Norris

The photo represents the culture of this city and its diversity. This small church is less than 2 miles from downtown New Orleans, off Martin Luther King Blvd on Felicity St, an impoverished part of the city riddled with drugs and crime. Yet this pastor faithfully preaches out front of his church every Sunday morning about Love and Change.

The MyNew Orleans Photo Project exhibit highlights four years of photography and stories submitted by people affected by homelessness in New Orleans as part of an annual photography contest, exhibition, and calendar. Each year's contest includes a public art exhibition designed to share the images and stories with the public—to share the everyday realities of people affected by homelessness, as well as their individual histories, struggles, and aspirations. The Photo Project uses the power of the artistic assignment to encourage reflection by both the artist and the viewer. Participants are compensated for their work through funding from use of their images and calendar sales. 

The MyNew Orleans Photo Project is coordinated by ReFOCUS, a PhotoVoice nonprofit co-founded by Heather Milton that provides coordination and guidance for using photography to connect diverse artists and audiences in reaching shared understanding around issues that marginalize and divide communities. While the photographs are the works of the participants, Milton coordinates all aspects of the project, including volunteer management, partnerships with community service providers and others, camera distribution and collection, fundraising, media/PR, exhibition curation, and event coordination.