Nina Berman is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, journalist and educator. Her work explores American politics, militarism, environmental issues and post violence trauma. She is the author of Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq, (Trolley, 2004) portraits and interviews with wounded American veterans, Homeland, (Trolley, 2008) an examination of the militarization of American life post September 11, and An autobiography of Miss Wish (Kehrer, 2017) a story told with a survivor of sexual violence which was shortlisted for both the Aperture and Arles book prizes. Additional fellowships, awards and grants include: the New York Foundation for the Arts, the World Press Photo Foundation, Pictures of the Year International, the Open Society Foundation, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and the Aftermath Project. She started her photographic career in 1988 as an independent photographer working on assignment for the world’s major magazines including Time, Newsweek, Life, the New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, German Geo, and the Sunday Times Magazine. She covered a range of issues, from women under siege during war in Bosnia and Afghanistan, to domestic issues of criminal justice, reproductive rights, and political process. Her work has been exhibited at more than 100 international venues from the Whitney Museum Biennial to the concrete security walls at the Za'atari refugee camp. Public collections include the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Museum of the City of New York, the Harvard Art Museums and the Bibliothèque nationale de France among others. She has participated in workshops around the world for young photographers and writes frequently on photojournalism for the Columbia Journalism Review. She is a Professor of Journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she directs the photojournalism/documentary photography program.
CV
Education
University of Chicago, B.A., 1982
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, M.S. 1985
Grants, fellowships, awards
2021 MIT-Knight Foundation Fellowship in Science Journalism
2021 New York City Arts Grant
2020 Humanities War and Peace Initiative, Columbia University
2020/2019 Data, Media and Society/Columbia University
2019 Deutsche Börse Foundation Photography Prize (long list)
2018 Aperture/Paris Photo Book/Text Award, shortlist
2018 Recontres d'Arles Book Award shortlist
2018 Prix Pictet nomination
2018 PDN Annual Book Award
2017 Susan E. Tifft fellow in Documentary and Journalism
2016 Lange Taylor Prize Finalist
2016 Aftermath Project Grant recipient
2015 Prix Pictet nomination
2014 Blue Mountain Center focused residency
2014 Society of Professional Journalists/ Northern California
2014 The Josephine Herrick Project Annual Photographer Award
2013 Prix Pictet nomination
2012 Prix Pictet nomination
2012 Puffin Foundation Grant
2010 Whitney Museum of American Art Residency
2009 Hasselblad Masters Award
2009 PDN Annual Book Award
2007 World Press Photo Foundation Award
2007 Pictures of the Year Award
2006 New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowship
2005 World Press Photo Foundation
2005 Open Society Institute Documentary Grant
2005 Days Japan International Photo Award
2000 Communication Arts
1999 Pictures of the Year
1998 Emma Award
1998 Pictures of the Year
1997 Pictures of the Year Award
1993 Pictures of the Year Award
1987 Livingston Award, finalist
Catalogues/Book Contributions
Visiting Artist Lecture Venues
Annenberg Space for Photography 2012- Present - Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, NYC, Professor
2019 - Women Photograph Mentor
2019 - NOOR Master Class- Sofia, Bulgaria
2018 -NOOR Master Class - Warsaw, Poland
2011 -Al-Liquindoi and Contemporary Image Collection - Visual storytelling workshop - Cairo, Egypt
2011 - Framing the Future/NOOR - Cairo, Egypt
2010 -Whitney Museum of American Art: Veterans Eye: Collaborative Program Brooklyn VA hospital PTSD clinic
2010 -Whitney Museum of American Art: Artist in Residence Youth Insights
2010- NOOR Master Class - St. Petersburg, Russia
1999, 2004 – 2009 International Center of Photography (ICP) Documentary/Photojournalism Seminar
Juries
2023 Aftermath Project Grant
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