The Battles Back Home

Sep 282014

archive : 2014

In conjunction with the exhibit “War & Memory,” the panel will discuss issues faced by returning military and veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our panelists will include photographers, journalists, veterans and mental health professionals.

Presenters: James Wellford Maurice Emerson Decaul Erin Grace Trieb Teru Kuwayama Katelyn Sheehan

Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 5 Uplands

Presented by:

The Homecoming Project

In conjunction with the exhibit “War & Memory,” the panel will discuss issues faced by returning military and veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our panelists will include photographers, journalists, veterans and mental health professionals.

The talk will be followed by a book signing of Peter van Agtmael’s lastest book Disco Night Sept 11, whose work has been previously shown at Photoville.

Presenter Bios

James Wellford

James Wellford was a senior photo editor at Newsweek magazine. He has collaborated on a number of award-winning projects recognized by World Press Photo, the Overseas Press Club, and at the Visa Pour L’Image. Additionally, he has curated a number of exhibitions including Projections of Reality (Moscow), Darkness Visible, Afghanistan by Seamus Murphy (VII Gallery, New York City), and is a co-founder of the group SeenUnseen, a series of programs that explores in-depth visual stories addressing controversial political issues. Wellford teaches at the International Center of Photography in New York.
Maurice Emerson Decaul

Maurice Emerson Decaul, a former Marine, is a poet, essayist, and playwright, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, The Daily Beast, Sierra Magazine, Barely South Review, Epiphany, Callaloo and others. His poems have also been translated into French and Arabic and his shows have been produced and performed in New York City, Washington DC and Paris. He is a graduate of Columbia University and is currently working towards his MFA at New York University.
Erin Grace Trieb

Erin Grace Trieb earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in photography from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2004. Erin specializes in long-term, documentary projects, which explore societal trends, cultural trauma and identity, spanning a diversity of subject matter from international conflict to local feature stories. Based in Austin, Texas, her clients include TIME Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC.com, Newsweek, and The Times of London. She has received honors by World Press Photo and Pictures Of The Year International. In 2012 she completed VII Agency’s prestigious Mentorship Program under Gary Knight. She is the director and founder of The Homecoming Project.
Teru Kuwayama

Teru Kuwayama is the Photo Community Manager at Facebook and a senior TED fellow. He was a John S. Knight fellow at Stanford, an Ochberg fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, and the architect of online projects like Lightstalkers and Basetrack. His work as a photographer focused on humanitarian crisis and complex emergency, primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Katelyn Sheehan

Katelyn Sheehan is a passionate advocate and networker currently working in veteran support services. She spent 6 years in trauma response as a Crisis Intervention Specialist at the Rape Crisis Center of San Antonio, Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocate in the United States Air Force, as well as a Sex Trafficking Aftercare Consultant in the US and Asia. She was a charter member of Monterey International Rotary Club and initiated several new projects as Chairman of Community Outreach.

Organizations

The Homecoming Project

The Homecoming Project is an Austin-based organization serving US Veterans and military communities. Founded in 2011, it is a public service campaign using visual journalism and media to raise awareness of veteran issues related to war and combat trauma. Through photography and visual storytelling, The Homecoming Project supports military communities and veterans by addressing these issues. Our exhibitions uses iconic imagery by award winning photojournalists coupled with creative works by Veterans which illustrate war’s aftermath, creating a unique, compelling, and growing body of work. From 2011 – 2014 The Homecoming Project hosted and or participated in 35 exhibitions, education platforms and awareness campaigns in the US and in Europe, bringing the current issues affecting Veterans to the attention of hundreds of thousands.
Fovea Exhibitions

Over the past nine years, Fovea Exhibitions has produced 40 topical photography exhibits on social issues and world events with related educational programming. Fovea is a nonprofit organization, founded by photo editors and run by volunteers. Its mission is to educate through photojournalism. Follow us on Facebook at @FoveaExhibitions.