Maleza, a photographer-led, not-for-profit association that seeks to facilitate the merging and exchange of experiences around photography in Peru, is this year’s recipient of the 2024 Howard Chapnick Grant. The grant, named in memory of Howard Chapnick, president of the picture agency Black Star, recognizes programs, rather than individuals, that significantly contribute to the field of documentary photography through education. Inspired by the opportunities that they were able to access, Alejandra Orosco and Paul Gambin created a project in the Sacred Valley of the Incas to promote the decentralization of voices, a physical space where photographers from the region of Cusco and beyond could also access photographic education, share projects, and collaborate.
“It was amazing to learn about so many great initiatives which use photography to build communities, educate society as well to teach visual communication skills to young people,” explained Emine Ziyatdinova, co-founder and director of the NGO “Ukrainian Warchive,” a digital photo archive of the Russo-Ukrainian war who judged this year’s Chapnick grant entries along with Cooperativa Sub co-founder Gisela Volá and David Y. Lee, a Senior Program Officer at the National Geographic Society.
“Maleza was born from the collective dream of creating a safe and open space in which the local photographic community of the Sacred Valley and beyond could come together in dialogue and exchange,” explained Paul Gambin. “Thanks to the Howard Chapnick grant and its recognition, we are more confident than ever that Maleza can continue to offer decentralized opportunities for photographers in a country like Peru where photography-focused spaces are disappearing and where art is often an inaccessible privilege.”
The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, Inc. is a non-profit corporation qualified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is supported by generous contributions from The Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, Earth Vision Institute, the John and Anne Duffy Foundation, the Joy of Giving Something, and PhotoWings. Additional support is provided by the International Center of Photography, http://mediastorm.com/and Synergy Communications.
