White House News Photographers Association, Washington, DC 
Chris Usher wins WHNPA project grant
Freelance photojournalist Chris Usher has been selected by the White House Education Committee as the recipient of the WHNPA 2006 Project Grant, committee chairman Leighton Mark announced. The $5,000 award will help in the production of Usher’s project - “One of Us: Portraits & Interviews of Hurricane Katrina’s America”. He hopes to photograph and have an audio interview of at least one evacuee from each state in the country, including Alaska and Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. “While natural disasters almost always leave a path of death and destruction, Hurricane Katrina was devastating to an immense number of people over a large geographically area,” Mark said. “Chris’ project is about the people of Katrina, not just the horrors of the immediate aftermath, but what happened to these people. Some have returned to New Orleans, but a number are spread across the United States, some have chosen start a new life in another city, another state; others are just waiting for relief so they can return to what’s left. He not only will have the photos, which he hopes to do along the lines of the legenday Karsh - waiting for THE moment when the mask we all present to the public drops– but hopes to have high quality audio of each of the victims talking about their experiences, as well.
This was a hurricane - a single event that lasted a few hours,” Mark said. “Yet like the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, people have had to pick up and move to try and find a new life for themselves and their families; that makes Katrina an historical event, and years from now we can look back at what Chris has done and see the people of Katrina just like we can look back at the work of the FSA photographers and see what happened, what was happening, to the people whose lives were literally blowing away. At least that’s the plan. And we’re glad the WHNPA could help”. Usher is hoping to turn the finalized project into a book and a traveling multimedia exhibition.
View a SLIDESHOW with selections from Chris Usher’s award-winning portfolio. Requires Flash; slideshow will open in a new window. (Please adjust your browser preferences if you have disabled pop-ups.)
