Los Angeles, CA—The Lucie Foundation revealed the top three recipients of its 2017 Emerging Scholarship program. “The submissions were compelling, thought-provoking and also unique. Congratulations to the shortlist and the recipients,” the foundation announced.
Lucie Scholarship Program
The Lucie Foundation supports emerging talent with vision as well as dynamic ideas that challenge and progress the art form of still photography into compelling work. “Our support of photography is broad, from fine art to documentary and photojournalism, to digital as well as film-based works. Our concern is to support emerging photographers producing work that is at once gripping, and original,” announced the organization.
The Lucie Foundation offers three cash grants to support the work of emerging photographers. One $2,500 scholarship has an open theme. The other two $1,000 scholarships are for photographers working in the fields of fine art or documentary/photojournalism, respectively.
$2,500 Emerging Artist Scholarship
This scholarship is open to all genres of photographic work. Furthermore, it is given to an individual to create or continue work on a specific, dynamic photographic project.
The 2017 recipient is Lujan Agusti of Argentina for his work The Gangs of Clowns.
The Gangs of Clowns is a consequence of “syncretism,” understanding this as the attempt to overcome a situation of cultural crisis produced by the collision of two different religions,” noted the Lujan Agusti.
Moreover, the photographs (Part 1 of 4) are presented as colorful, surreal portraits. However, when the layers are separated, they reflect “important social issues and actions that go back to the beginning of the construction of America. They reveal syncretism as a political tool, exercising power over a community that cannot break free. Portraits of a wounded town that keeps celebrating,” added Agusti.
Photo Made $1,000 Emerging Scholarship
This scholarship is given to an individual to create or continue a project focused on creating a story through a conceptual fine art approach.
This year’s recipient is Patricia Voulgaris of the United States for her work Mere Exposure.
“My process is heavily reliant on printing existing photographs and also re-photographing these images into new compositions,” Voulgaris commented.
Photo Taken $1,000 Emerging Scholarship
The third scholarship is given to an individual to create or continue a project focused on telling an existing story through a documentary or photojournalism approach.
The 2017 recipient is Maurizio Di Pietro of Italy for Climate Change Adaptation.
“In Turkana County, air temperature has increased by about 3º between 1967 and today. The long rainy season has also become shorter and dryer. And the short rainy season has become longer and wetter, while overall annual rainfall remains at low levels. During these droughts, the Turkana ethnic group who were mostly pastoralist was pushed closer to the lake. They gradually adapted their lifestyles to depend upon fishing, despite it previously being a livelihood looked down upon. As a result, the lives of the people in this area depend directly on fish or fishing,” explained Di Pietro.
To view all the 2017 Emerging Scholarship Shortlist galleries and also the Recipient galleries, click here. luciefoundation.org
