Photography, one of the most important visual media of our lives, has been surprisingly uncelebrated, particularly in the United States. New York City, home to the world’s most influential commercial and fine art photography community, has lacked until now a large-scale event dedicated to photography. The inaugural New York Photo Festival (May 14–May 18, 2008) delivered a dynamic, high-quality event in what is arguably the photographic capital of the world. 2009 saw the introduction of Jacob Holdt’s seminal work on race r... Read more

Photography, one of the most important visual media of our lives, has been surprisingly uncelebrated, particularly in the United States. New York City, home to the world’s most influential commercial and fine art photography community, has lacked until now a large-scale event dedicated to photography.

The inaugural New York Photo Festival (May 14–May 18, 2008) delivered a dynamic, high-quality event in what is arguably the photographic capital of the world.

2009 saw the introduction of Jacob Holdt’s seminal work on race relations in America to a mainstream audience for the first time, as well as the debut of Tim Hetherington’s “Sleeping Soldiers”—a multimedia piece on the Iraq war effort, which formed the basis of an acclaimed 2010 Sundance documentary. Both works were twice profiled by The New York Times.

Five days Celebrating Contemporary Photography
In addition to the curated pavilions, the festival offers visitors an extensive range of activities that generate dialogue and buzz among all communities of photo professionals, amateurs, students, and aficionados of art and culture, including: seminars, slide shows, book signings, photographic workshops, live performances and events, and a gallery row. The festival will also be documented online in a regularly updated and engaging online social media environment.

Our Growing support
The New York Photo Festival has already received support from major institutions and individuals in the U.S. and abroad such as Elizabeth Biondi, Director of Photography of the New Yorker; Tony Bannon, Director of the George Eastman House; Brian Wallis, Chief Curator of the International Center of Photography; and François Hébel, Director of the Rencontres d’Arles photo festival in France among many others. The scope of our support demonstrates the expectations of the festival and the high standards on which it has been built thus far.

International Attendance
With its unique scope and focus, the festival appeals to all people involved in image-making and collecting: professional photographers and artists, arts editors, scholars, curators, collectors, as well as everyone with an appreciation for what is undoubtedly the most popular fine arts medium. The four primary international photography festivals in Europe and Canada each draw close to 100,000 people per year. Our ambition is to attract a comparable audience to the upcoming iterations of the New York Photo Festival, and to increase substantially in subsequent years as the scope and real estate available for the festival grows.