Jon HenryPHOTOGRAPHER

Jon Henry is a photographer whose professional repertoire speaks for itself. He graduated from NYFA’s 1-Year Conservatory for Photography program in 2010 and is currently a teaching assistant at our New York City campus.

In his visual artwork, Henry primarily focuses on black families and the community at large. Notably, his work reflects on family, sociopolitical issues, grief, trauma, and healing within the African American community. This is perhaps best exemplified in his prolific and poignant series “Stranger Fruit.”

The series, which Henry created as a protest against racism and specifically police brutality, depicts African American mothers holding their sons as if the sons were lifeless. Not only does this series showcase scenes of mourning, but it also demonstrates the harsh reality that any of these mothers could be the next to lose their sons.

“Stranger Fruit” appears in a 2019 issue of PDN Magazine. Photographs from the series also feature prominently in Jungle Magazine and the October 2020 issue of National Geographic, among other publications.

In addition to works like “Stranger Fruit” which showcase his cultural activism, Henry has also explored the representation of athletes in fine art. His series “Ascension” captures the grace and strength athletes convey while performing motions specific to their respective sports.

Meanwhile, LensCulture named Henry as one of their top emerging artists for 2019. The following year, Henry was named as an En Foco fellow. He also received the 2020 Arnold Newman Grant for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture. Additionally, Henry won the 2020 Film Photo Prize for Continuing Film Project sponsored by Kodak for “Stranger Fruit”.

Furthermore, Henry’s work has been published nationally and internationally. His photographs have appeared in numerous galleries including Aperture Foundation, BRICC Brooklyn, and Smack Mellon, among others. In 2021, Henry was named to that year’s TIME Magazine “TIME Next 100” list.

Additionally, Henry himself prominently appeared on the cover of JRNL 4. Photograph Magazine also profiled Henry and his work in 2020. In summary, Jon Henry’s repertoire showcases not only his skill as a photographer, but his ability to tell stories through artistic photographs.

Snapshot:
Program Studied at NYFA: Photography
Program Type: 1-Year Conservatory
Year Attended/Graduated: 2010
Location: New York City

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