101 Photos for Press Freedom

I visited The Art Institute of Boston, part of Lesley College, this week, to view an exhibit of photographs entitled "101 Photos for Press Freedom". The show is a collection of outstanding examples of photojournalism by members of Magnum Photos. Founded in 1947, Magnum Photos is an organization of over 80 of the worlds most renowned press photographers.




According to co-founder Henri Cartier-Bresson, "Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually."




This exhibition has been put together, along with a book of the same name, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Reporters Without Borders, an international advocate group that promotes freedom of the press.




The photographs are simply displayed, reminding the viewer that although exhibited as art, these images also have another & perhaps higher purpose.




The collection, as a whole, tells a story of the world we live in, our cultural differences, our history, our collective memories. Many of the photographs are endearing glimpses of other worlds.




While others are violent, reminding us of the bravery of these photographers, putting themselves in harms way to capture images that would otherwise go unobserved by the world.




Many of the photographs are familiar, images we have seen before in news papers or magazines.




After viewing this exhibit, one can not help but come away with a renewed respect for photojournalism & the men & women of the profession, that bring the world to us.




These images tell the stories of our lives, & one is made aware of how lacking our lives would have been without them.