Editor’s Note: Our writer, Brian PJ Cronin, filed an insightful piece on Newburgh for the April issue. The article described how the city is not without problems but that in the past 10 years, it has made great strides toward a real, sustainable renaissance. The biggest problem facing Newburgh, according to Austin Dubois, the head of the city’s Industrial Development Agency, was negative public opinion. “At this point, the biggest thing holding Newburgh back,” said Dubois, “is negative outside perceptions based solely on things people see in the news or on Facebook.” Of course, that is now far from the biggest threat facing Newburgh, or anywhere else. We chose to shelve the piece. In its place, we’re featuring photos from Newburgh Community Photo Project.
Map illustration by Kaitlin Van Pelt.
The Newburgh Community Photo Project is a grassroots community-based photography educational program whose mission is to engage local youth on topics of national interest that relate directly to their communities and ultimately empower them to utilize photography to advocate for change in their own lives and the lives of their communities. NCPP is a volunteer-run arts organization teaching young adults (16 to 24) photography and community activism.
NCPP provides exhibition space, cameras, materials, and equipment, as well as free workshops and mentorship by local and national photographers. NCPP participants explore a broad spectrum of photography including socially engaged art, documentary, portraiture and photojournalism. Topics cover gun violence, economic and political empowerment, gender issues, voting rights and registration, community policing, immigration, housing, and clean water. Educational programming (film and lecture series) are organized around the issues to encourage empathy and understanding among people who are different from one another to break down barriers and advocate for the rights of all residents to envision a future and participate in the political and economic progress in Newburgh.
Thanks to Vincent Cianni of NCPP for helping to organize this collaboration.
This article appears in April 2020.
