Louisiana ArtWorks Hosts
POYi Exhibition for PhotoNOLA

“Visions of Excellence” returns to New Orleans on Dec. 10 for 2-month showing

Pictures of the Year International is privileged to bring its “Visions of Excellence” exhibition to the Louisiana ArtWorks in New Orleans for an extended showing from Dec. 10 through Feb. 12.  This is the third consecutive year that the New Orleans Photo Alliance has collaborated with POYi to bring the exhibit of award winning photojournalism from around the world to New Orleans for PhotoNOLA.

The POYi exhibition will feature 35 framed 27-inch by 21-inch premium photographic prints selected from the winning entries in the 67th annual photojournalism competition.  The opening reception for POYi’s “Visions of Excellence” exhibition will be Friday, Dec. 10 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Louisiana ArtWorks facility, located at 725 Howard Ave.

This reception will feature a presentation by POYi director Rick Shaw, titled “The Photojournalists: Behind the Lens.”  The program presents an up-close look at the daily working experiences of two premier photojournalists. Barbara Davidson is a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times and Brian Frank is a freelance photographer covering the San Francisco Bay Area.  Davidson was honored in the POYi Community Awareness category for her project “Frozen Land, Forgotten People” that focuses on Navajo and Hopi communities in northeastern Arizona, an area known as Bennett Freeze. Frank’s environmental essay, “The Death of the Colorado,” which examines the state of the Colorado River, won him the Global Vision Award in POYi.  Shaw’s video presentation for the opening reception was recently part of POYi’s digital exhibition at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.

Now in its fifth year, PhotoNOLA is a celebration of photography showcasing a wide spectrum of work at more than 30 galleries and venues throughout the city.  The festival runs from Dec. 2 - 11 and sponsors educational exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and portfolio review sessions.  Details about PhotoNOLA may be found at http://photonola.org/

Louisiana ArtWorks in New Orleans is a unique arts environment that offers inspiration for artistic growth, plus provides public opportunities to see, enjoy, and explore the processes involved in the creation of the visual and applied arts within the 93,000 square foot visual arts facility. Louisiana ArtWorks creates an infrastructure for the growth of the creative industry by providing needed workspace and equipment for artists, while attracting the public as a premier cultural destination.  More information on Louisiana ArtWorks may be found at http://www.louisianaartworks.org/

This exhibition is presented in collaboration with the New Orleans Photo Alliance, as part of PhotoNOLA. The Photo Alliance is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild the Gulf Coast’s photographic community. For more information about PhotoNOLA and the New Orleans Photo Alliance, please visit the websites at http://photonola.org/ and http://www.neworleansphotoalliance.org/.

One of the missions of POYi is to extend the reach of photojournalists through educa­tional public exhibitions, and PhotoNOLA is a perfect venue for POYi to achieve those goals.  POYi is a program of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.  The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute engages media professionals, scholars, and citizens in programs aimed at improving the practice and understanding of journalism.  Part of the Missouri School of Journalism, RJI collaborates with citizens, news, and technology companies, professional associations and foundations to generate and test innovative mod­els and technologies for journalism and advertising.