Photographer Joel Meyerowitz is an award-winning artist whose work has appeared in over 350 galleries and museums around the world. A Guggenheim Fellow, he is the author of 16 books including Cape Light, considered a classic work of color photography. His work took a different turn in the days after 9/11. Through his persistence and determination he gained unlimited access to Ground Zero, creating the only photographic record of the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack.
His most recent book, Aftermath: The World Trade Center Archive, features 400 of over 8,000 images, as well as an engaging account of his experience during recovery efforts. “To me, no photographs meant no history,” says Meyerowitz. “My task was to make a record of the aftermath which has embedded itself deeply into the consciousness of all of us in America and around the world.” An exhibit from the archive has traveled to over 200 cities, in 60 countries from Kabul to Lima to Beijing, and a permanent selection will be at the World Trade Center Museum.
Early to embrace digital photography while continuing to shoot in film, Meyerowitz believes that “in an image focused world we are all photographers now.” In a new program, he shares selections of audience photography along with some of his own work to illustrate the increasingly blurring lines between professional and amateur photographers.
Meyerowitz is an NEA and NEH award-winner, and has been profiled by Nightline, People and CBS Sunday Morning. A retrospective of his 45-year career will be published in fall 2008.
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