Corcoran Photographers Win FotoWeek DC Awards
Photographs taken by Corcoran alumnae Kaitlin Jencso, B.F.A. ’12, and Lauren Schneiderman, M.A. ’13, were selected as “curators’ picks” at this year’s main FotoWeek DC competition. Ms. Schneiderman and Corcoran Professor Benjamin Tankersley also received honorable mentions for their work.
FotoWeek DC is an annual festival designed to bring photography to the forefront through events and exhibitions planned all over Washington. Since the festival started in 2008, thousands of professional and amateur photographers have submitted images that range from conceptual art to photojournalism. FotoWeek DC draws audiences of more than 40,000 photography enthusiasts each year.
Curators George Hemphill, Jeanne Modderman and Lucian Perkins pored through submissions for FotoWeek’s main competition, choosing “curators’ picks” in the categories of fine art, photojournalism and photographer’s choice. A fine art series taken by Ms. Jencso and a single photojournalism image taken by Ms. Schneiderman received top accolades. Ms. Jensco also received an honorable mention for her single fine art image, while Mr. Tankersley received an honorable mention for his fine art series.
"FotoWeek DC is committed to making photography accessible to the community and giving exposure to photographers,” Ms. Schneiderman said. “I’m honored to be the curator’s pick for this year’s photojournalism competition.”
Ms. Schneiderman’s winning image was part of her Corcoran thesis project, called “Living Coal.” It depicts several generations of the Jarrell family, who live in southern West Virginia. Once home to a booming coal industry, the region now faces rampant unemployment. Ms. Schneiderman explained her project shed light on families living in the shadow of coal companies. Mr. Tankersley’s work explores small town life “where seemingly no one lives,” and people are just passing through.
You can browse the winning images in the gallery below. The photographs will be on display at the Former Spanish Ambassador’s Residence at 2801 16th Street NW from Nov. 7 to Nov. 16. Click here for more information about this year’s FotoWeek DC’s activities.