Kicking off the Photo Crusades is artist and educator Jen Shaw. Jen, Queen Bee and creative director of PhotoNOLA, was my first photography contact in NOLA and my introduction to the New Orleans Photo Alliance.
Jen’s ambition and goal of creating a photography festival helped give birth to PhotoNOLA . Her dedication inspires an army of volunteers committed enough to make it one of the most popular photography festivals in the country.
Viewing photography as an act of discovery, Jen speaks about “seeing” as a practice that is intuitional, emotional, and joyful. Her latest body of work, Flood State, was recently covered by Lenscratch. Flood State is Jen’s camera-less approach to “illustrating weather anxieties and the precarious act of making a home in a vulnerable land.”
Jen also runs a quarterly portfolio review group for artist feedback, support, and the occasional kick in the pants.
See how Jen Shaw’s work translates into week one’s theme of the Photo Crusades: