Nueva Luz vol. 21:2 | Page 6

Call for Entries 2018 En Foco Photography Fellowship En Foco, the leading arts organization serving support to photographers of color, is accepting submissions for its 2018 Photography Fellowship, designed to support photographers of color who demonstrate the highest quality of work as determined by a photography panel of peers and industry professionals. The En Foco Photography Fellowship Program is made possible with the generosity of an anonymous donor with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, as well as the generosity of an anonymous donor. Member of the Urban Arts Cooperative. Submission Deadline Monday, January 15th, 2018 at 11:59pm Fellowships will be announced in March The Photography Fellowship Program will award ten Fellowships of a $1,000 each, participate in the 2018 Fellowship Group Exhibition, feature the Fellows in En Foco’s 2018 Nueva Luz publication, in printed and online editions, and provide Professional Development and Networking Opportunities. For more information about the application and guidelines, please visit: enfoco.submittable.com or send us an email at: [email protected]. 4 Nueva Luz Publisher’s Statement Dear Friends and Supporters, Nueva Luz continues to generate critical acclaim from old and new friends for its content, support from En Foco’s artist community, and continuing advocacy for equitable funding from public and private sources. To that end, you will see an advertisement for the Urban Art Cooperative, an advocacy venture for artists by and for substantially underfunded orgs organizations, co-founded by En Foco. En Foco will always be vigilant and active in promoting the highest professional and artistic endeavors in our communities. This Nueva Luz continues the tradition of excellence by devoting this “Mentor Issue” to an extraordinary artist, Jamel Shabazz. Of the 60+ issues, there have been only four “mentor” publications and we are proud to add Mr. Shabazz to En Foco’s roster of distinguished artists. Noelle Flores Theard, who Shabazz had a huge influence on, expertly curated the issue.  The images, jointly selected by Noelle and Jamel, represent the many stages of the development of his creative and personal perspective. Of special significance, Jamel Shabazz’ “Mentor Issue” has been published with two cover pages. The two images entitled, “Fathers and sons” and “A father introducing his son to the craft of photography” were so special and representative of Jamel’s vision that we collectively decided to make them available to Nueva Luz subscribers and Jamel Shabazz’ supporters. As En Foco moves forward in preserving its Permanent Collection, Nueva Luz is an important part of it. Since 1985, Nueva Luz through its artists and cultural writers has not only preserved the visions of several generations as they responded to issues and challenges our communities have faced. Together, the Nueva Luz issues chronicle a history not normally found in textbooks. I doubt cultural historians will ever adequately acknowledged, if at all, the passing this past summer of a Puerto Rican photographer and cultural activist, Roger Caban who along with Charles Biasini-Rivera and the late Phil Dante, founded En Foco in 1974 and the rest is history, gratefully. From the early days of En Foco to now, our voices and contributions remain constant and as valid as ever. I do want to thank and acknowledge the contributors to this “Mentor issue” starting with Jamel, his genuineness and sense of humanit y was a pleasure to experience and Noelle, who toiled with passion and sensitivity, organized a “collector’s issue” for all to experience. Jamel specifically requested that Felipe Luciano to write an essay for this issue and this cultural warrior did not disappoint. Lastly, En Foco’s Nueva Luz team, Layza Garcia and Nestor Otero, produced another powerful issue.  Sincerely,  Bill Aguado Nueva Luz Publishers Page Board of Directors En Foco Staff Frank Gimpaya, Chairperson George Acevedo Bruce Miller Leenda Bonilla Juanita Lanzo Dolores Baptista Ron Kavanaugh Bill Aguado Director Layza Garcia Director of Programs Editor Oscar J. Rivera Exhibitions Manager Claire Dorfman Néstor Otero Permanent Collection Coordinator Nueva Luz Design & Production Ly d i a C l a r k Charles Biasini-Rivera Artist Services Associate Co-Founder and Director Emeritus Frank Gimpaya Original Design & Concept Jamel Shabazz N u the e v craft a L of u photography, z 5 Cover image 1 I A father introducing his son to Honor and Dignity series. Central Park, NY. Cover image 2 I Fathers and sons, Honor and Dignity series, Brooklyn, NY, 1997.