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New Orleans Photo Alliance
1111 St. Mary Street (map)
New Orleans, LA 70130
Sat & Sun 12-4
or by appointment
p: 504-610-4899
e: photoalliance@gmail.com |
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The New Orleans Photo Alliance’s
Michael P. Smith Fund For Documentary Photography
2010 Grant Guidelines - link soon
About the MPS Fund
The Michael P. Smith Fund For Documentary Photography (MPS Fund) was created by the New Orleans Photo Alliance to honor the life and work of Michael P. Smith, one of New Orleans’ most legendary and beloved documentary photographers. The MPS Fund awards one $5000 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 is not limited to the Gulf Coast region.
Joseph © Jonathan Traviesa, the 2009 Grant Recipient |
Jeff L. Rosenheim, Curator, Department of Photographs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the 2009 MPS Fund juror, describes Traviesa's project:
"The photographs delight the eye and thrill the heart." |
About Michael P. Smith
Funeral of Emile Victor Clay, image by Michael P. Smith, 1996;
© The Historic New Orleans Collection
Michael P. Smith (1937–2008), a New Orleans native and award-winning professional freelance photographer, spent a lifetime capturing the music, culture and folklife of New Orleans and Louisiana. He was well known for documenting New Orleans social club parades and jazz funerals, neighborhood Mardi Gras traditions, spiritual church ceremonies, and many of the city and state's renowned jazz, blues rhythm and blues, and gospel musicians. Smith photographed at every New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival from its inception in 1970 until his retirement in 2004, when he was honored with a major grandstand exhibition and photo kiosks placed around the Fair Grounds.
In a brilliant career that spanned more than four decades, produced 5 books, and garnered a host of honors, including 2 fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Smith was an inspiration, a role model and a mentor to many photographers in New Orleans and beyond.
Grant Guidelines
Application Form 
New Orleans Photo Alliance
Michael P. Smith Biographical Information
Michael P. Smith Fund and grant information: MPSFund@neworleansphotoalliance.org |
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