Taught by Danny Wilcox Frazier, this tuition-free workshop invites photographers with strong connections and commitment to rural issues, both in and outside of the United States, to the small town of Mexico, Missouri. The weeklong program is funded by VII to support photographers from low-income communities as well as those working on issues about underrepresented populations.

Mexico, like many cities in the Midwest, is a town built on a small industry that no longer exists there. Over 22% of the population lives below the poverty line, along with nearly 29% of children and 70% of mixed-race residents. The workshop will not shy away from the struggles many residents in Mexico face, but will also emphasize the perseverance and strength that the town’s residents have long shown. Small-town America is full of life, a perspective often lost in oversimplified views from the outside.

The thrust of the workshop will be to help photographers bring a unique personal voice to their projects, and take home a new way of seeing not only their own work but also the world of documentary photography. The experience will instill strong technical skills to transform photographs from single images into photographic series. The workshop will also teach the fundamentals of visual literacy and how to use photography as a tool for social justice.

In committee with VII Academy Curator Yonola Viguerie, VII Trustee Jennifer Gross, and VII Foundation Manager of Operations Amber Maitland, below are our selections for the workshop.

A retrospective on the workshop and its value to the participants can be found here.