Emily Schiffer

Cheyenne River, Arnold Newman Prize Winner exhibition, The Farnsworth Art Museum, aout 2010 - janvier 2011

The Farnsworth Art Museum presents the first annual Arnold Newman Prize Winner exhibition. The 2010 show will feature the work of Brooklyn-based photographer Emily Schiffer who has been selected as the winner of the 2010 Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture. Schiffer’s project, “Youth on the Cheyenne River Reservation” will be the focus of the exhibition. Judged as a separate category in the Photo District News Photo Annual competition, the Arnold Newman Prize recognizes an individual for his or her innovative approach to photographic portraiture, and awards the individual $15,000 and an exhibition of the work at the Farnsworth. Final judging was conducted by a panel of respected and influential members of the photographic community, including New York gallery owner Howard Greenberg and Farnsworth Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky

Schiffer's winning portfolio documents youth on the Cheyenne River Reservation in rural South Dakota, where she founded a photography program in 2005. "Our favorite locations are the fields and abandoned buildings on the fringes of town, forgotten places thick with the past that lend themselves to imaginary games and textured photographs," she explains. "My images explore 'play' as a vehicle through which youth reveal and negotiate their emotions, traumas and desires. Children have a unique ability to experience love and joy alongside pain without compartmentalizing their experiences. I wanted to convey this complexity through my photographs," Schiffer added.