Josephine Herrick Project Honors VII

VII Agency is pleased to report that we will be honored by the Josephine Herrick Project (JHP) at its 2018 Spring Photography Auction and Party on June 5, at Aperture Gallery, 47 West 27th Street in New York City. JHP is a New York City-based charity dedicated to helping underserved communities to express themselves through photography, working with disabled military veterans, youth at risk and from new immigrant and refugee families among others. JHP was awarded the 2017 Lucie Humanitarian Award, the first non-profit organization to be given this prestigious honor. Both of our organizations believe in the power of partnership, cooperative effort, and of photography to transform lives.

JHP’s executive director Jessica Wanamaker said, “Our two organizations share a common goal in wanting to use photography to tell stories that change the world.  We are especially delighted to shine a spotlight on VII Agency at this year’s spring fundraiser, for its commitment to people whose voices and stories are unheard, its unshakeable belief in the power of the image, and its unwavering attention to the issues that matter.”

JHP’s auction fundraisers have long had the support of some of the big names in photography, and this year, photographers such as Harry Benson, Robert Farber, Douglas Kirkland, Barbara Mensch, and Sheila Metzner have donated prints for the silent and the live auctions. Peter Hurley, well known for his headshots of the famous and soon to be famous, is volunteering his services to JHP and will set up a studio at the event to take headshots of attendees.

We encourage you to show your support for JHP with a ticket purchase or a donation. Tickets are $150, ($110 tax deductible). A portrait sitting with Peter Hurley is $300 and only 9 sittings are still available. Tickets and sittings must be booked in advance at jhproject.org. All proceeds from the evening will help expand Josephine Herrick Project (JHP) services throughout the Northeast.

JHP was founded by Josephine Herrick, a New York-based portrait photographer, who organized a volunteer contingent of her fellow professionals to take pictures of soldiers bound for service overseas during World War II and send the photos home to their families with an attached personal note. As injured veterans began returning home from war, Herrick shifted to using photography as a rehabilitative tool for returning disabled veterans. Her pioneering programs continued during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Herrick remained involved in the organization until her death in 1972. Today, there are more than 40 professional photographers working with JHP, engaging and inspiring over 1000 people each year, using photography to show others what they see and to advocate for themselves and their communities.

JHP is currently working on two different projects with VII Agency members Ashley Gilbertson and Ron Haviv, one being an anticipated seminar series with the New School later this year.  

Please support JHP if you can, visit their website, and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.