NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Alliance (NOPA) is accepting applications for the Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography (MPS Fund) 2015 grant.
This fund, established by NOPA to honor the legendary New Orleans photographer Michael P. Smith, awards one $5,000 grant annually to a Gulf Coast photographer whose work combines artistic excellence and a sustained commitment to a long-term cultural documentary project.
Both emerging and established photographers residing in the Gulf Coast states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are eligible to apply. The subject matter for the proposed project, however, is not limited to the Gulf Coast region. NOPA will accept grant applications through Monday, March 30, 2015.
The MPS Fund, founded in 2008, has supported the work of 5 documentary photographers: Jonathon Traviesa (New Orleans, LA), Scott Dalton (Houston, TX), Kael Alford (Dallas, TX), Andrew Kaufman (Miami, FL) and Brandon Thibodeaux (Dallas, TX).
The 2015 juror will be Emma Reynes, who, as Director of Programs at the Magnum Foundation, supports independent photographers to cover under-reported stories and imagine innovative means for distribution and engagement. She is also a member of the faculty at the International Center of Photography in NYC. Reynes holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Cultural Anthropology from the New School for Social Research and completed a Hine Documentary Fellowship at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies.
The New Orleans Photo Alliance is comprised of a diverse group of photographers who joined forces in 2006 to create unity and opportunity for photographers in the Gulf South. It is an artist-run 501(c)3 nonprofit which currently includes more nearly 400 members from across Louisiana and throughout the United States. NOPA sponsors numerous photographic exhibitions, workshops and educational programs, and coordinates PhotoNOLA, an annual photography festival in New Orleans.
