Visitors look at the exhibition in Copley Square on May 24, 2021. Photo by Faith Ninivaggi.
Day of installation at Copley Square. May 24, 2021.
GBH's Greater Boston features exhibition
Time-lapse of installation by Mary Schwalm
Lowell Sun features exhibition. 26 May 2021.
Boston Globe features exhibition. 3 June 2021.
Exhibition featured on GBH's digital mural overlooking I-90. 3 June 2021.
BPPA exhibition in Nubian Square, June 7 through June 20, 2021.
A visitor looks at the exhibition in Nubian Square on June 16, 2021. Photo by Brian Snyder.
Day of installation in Nubian Square's Justice Gourdin Park with help of Boston Fire Dept.'s Engine 42. June 7, 2021.
The 2020 Winning Photos from the Boston Press Photographers Association Exhibited Outside for the First Time
BOSTON (May 25, 2021)––On May 24, the Boston Press Photographer’s Association debuted the first outdoor exhibition in the organization’s 95-year history, featuring the award-winning images from the 2020 annual Pictures of the Year Contest. More than 100 photographs and stories by 40 photographers will be on view in Copley Square from May 24 through June 6, followed by a showing in Judge Gourdin Park in Nubian Square from June 7 through June 20. The images are displayed on ten separate six-foot by six-foot “photo cubes.”
The photographers represent a range of news organizations including Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Getty Images, Polaris Images, Reuters, WBUR and independent photographers
2020 was a year that no one could have predicted, and the photojournalists of New England captured powerful images that speak to struggle, sorrow and hope. From the presidential election to the COVID-19 pandemic to renewed protests for racial and social equity, BPPA news photographers put themselves at risk to tell the stories of ordinary people living through extraordinary times.
As illness spread and deaths mounted, individuals opened up their intimate lives so these photojournalists could show the larger public the impact of COVID-19 with unflinching and empathetic candor. The pandemic disproportionately affected Black, brown and immigrant communities, which brought an old and ugly reality back to the forefront. Racial injustice is not new, but this year brought it into sharp focus.
The BPPA is the oldest press photographers association in the U.S., dedicated to the pursuit, practice and advancement of journalism through the language of photography. These images from 2020 document and preserve daily events in order to bring essential stories, however uncomfortable, to the public to see and understand.
The exhibition is produced in collaboration with Photoville, a NY-based non-profit organization that works to promote a wider understanding and increased access to the art of photography for all, by activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition environments. Photoville's Photo Structures are a customizable, modular, and transportable system to exhibit photography indoors and outdoors. For more information visit photoville.com. Additional support provided by GBH. From Boston to the Berkshires, GBH, the leading multi-platform creator for public media in America, is dedicated to connecting the Commonwealth through news, programming, learning tools and events. Find more information at gbh.org. Exhibition graphic design by Gene Yoon.
For the full list of photographers and awards, visit bppa.net.
Photographs of the exhibition included above by Faith Ninivaggi, Brian Snyder, and Meredith Nierman.
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