The War on Poverty
Steve Liss is an accomplished photojournalist, as
evidenced by having 43 Time Magazine cover photos to
his credit.
But it isn't this professional success that Liss
takes the most pride in. Steve Liss is a humanitarian
who uses photo essays to communicate tough topics.
His subjects have ranged from poverty in the
Mississippi Delta, to runaway youth living on the
streets of Hollywood, to a study of the Nuns of
Mankato and Alzheimer's disease. He has been the
recipient of the Soros Justice Media Fellowship for
his work on juvenile justice and the Alicia Patterson
Fellowship for his work on domestic poverty.
We are delighted and excited to be asked to
participate in his latest project entitled;
In Our Own
Backyard: U.S. Poverty in the 21st
Century
(web site).
This is a unique poverty awareness project being
undertaken by 15+ preeminent American
photojournalists. The project goal is to use the
visual power of large-format documentary photography
to elevate the discussion of making the fight against
poverty a national priority.
This project is in partnership with Catholic
Charities and their campaign to cut poverty in half
by 2020. Nine major photographic and multi-media
exhibits, each with 50 emotionally-moving large
format photographs will tour throughout the United
States begining in the fall of 2009.
This project will be kicked off at a leadership
summit on April 20, 2009 at the College of St.
Catherine, St. Paul, MN. Registration is
here and an invitation postcard is here.
Poverty has many faces and it is impossible to ignore
when seen up close and personal. It is projects like
this that make work seem less like work and more like
purpose.