{"id":319205,"date":"2025-12-01T21:40:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T21:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/319205\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T21:40:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T21:40:11","slug":"pulitzer-prize-winning-photographer-is-capturing-portraits-across-america-for-us-semiquincentennial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/319205\/","title":{"rendered":"Pulitzer-Prize Winning Photographer Is Capturing Portraits Across America for US Semiquincentennial"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ThreeMemorial Day Drum Corps, Fromberg, Montana | Photo by Steven G. Smith <\/p>\n

The Carnegie Corporation named 26 Andrew Carnegie Fellows<\/a> in 2025, providing scholarships up to $200,000. One of these 26 Fellows is a photographer\/cinematographer: Pulitzer Prize winner Steven G. Smith<\/a>, a professor at the University of Connecticut.<\/p>\n

What will this photographer do with Carnegie grant money? What are the end uses of his work?<\/p>\n

We caught up with well-traveled Professor Smith<\/a> (@stevengsmith_pictures) in rural Colorado to learn more. Smith is documenting America for its 250th birthday next year (1776-2026).<\/p>\n

The title of Smith\u2019s expansive project is These United States: A Portrait of America in the 21st Century.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough visual storytelling,\u201d says Smith, \u201cmy goal is to cut through some of the noise, reduce polarization, promote understanding, and challenge stereotypes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TwoPalm Sunday at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Willimantic, Connecticut | Photo by Steven G. Smith<\/p>\n

Starting in 2023, Smith has taken thousands of photos in 20 states. The Carnegie grant allows him to work full-time on his portrait-of-America project. Smith plans to wrap up documentary research by July 4, 2026.<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s goals are:<\/p>\n

A tabletop photography book A traveling gallery exhibition A digital multimedia experience integrating still photography, short films, mapping, and narrative text \"AMorning traffic, New York City, New York | Photo by Steven G. Smith Who Is Steven G. Smith? <\/p>\n

After completing the master\u2019s program at Ohio University\u2019s School of Visual Communication in 1994, Smith worked as a photojournalist. He was part of the team at the Rocky Mountain News that won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News<\/a> for coverage of Colorado\u2019s wildfires.<\/p>\n

Smith joined the faculty<\/a> at the University of Connecticut in 2013 and has created a prolific body of work. His award-winning film The Long Goodbye, about a daughter caring for her father with dementia, has been screened at more than two dozen festivals, including the Cannes World Film Festival in 2023.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s photography and cinematography work have appeared at ESPN, National Geographic, and the Smithsonian. He is the author of Under the Dark Sky: Life in the Thames River Basin, a 2018 photo essay book.<\/p>\n

\"AProfessor Steven G. Smith What Motivates Smith to Document America? <\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s goal is to \u201cremind us of what we share, not just what separates us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see resilience, pride in place, cultural depth, and a sincere desire for connection,\u201d says the professor. \u201cI am consistently taken back by the diversity of this vast nation and the graciousness of the people I meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
Learning the ropes, Chama, New Mexico | Photo by Steven G. Smith <\/p>\n

Inspirations and role models include:<\/p>\n

Andrew Carnegie Fellows <\/p>\n

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is one of the most respected awards in the humanities and social sciences, allowing recipients to focus for one or two years on critical issues confronting society. <\/p>\n

The 2025 class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows is the second year of the program\u2019s effort to build a body of research on political polarization. Carnegie will commit up to $18 million to this effort over three years.<\/p>\n

Academics named as 2025 Carnegie Fellows include Political Science Professor Adam J. Berinsky<\/a> of MIT, History Professor Kathryn Cramer Brownell<\/a> of Purdue University, Matt Grossmann<\/a> of Michigan State University, and Cynthia Miller-Idriss<\/a> of American University.<\/p>\n

Fellows are selected based on the originality of their research, its potential impact, and scholars\u2019 plans for communicating findings to a broad audience.<\/p>\n

Professor Smith, taking thousands more photos of America, wants to avoid oversimplification.<\/p>\n

\"FourUte Mountain Pow Wow, Towaoc, Colorado | Photo by Steven G. Smith <\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican identify,\u201d he says, \u201cis not defined by a single narrative. It is formed through many stories living side by side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acknowledgement regarding Andrew Carnegie Fellow Steven G. Smith: This publication was made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author. <\/p>\n

About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Memorial Day Drum Corps, Fromberg, Montana | Photo by Steven G. Smith The Carnegie Corporation named 26 Andrew…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319206,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[141854,76,354,355,49,48,569,356,22450,75,4048,4150,33375,1825,183],"class_list":{"0":"post-319205","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-250thanniversary","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-ca","13":"tag-canada","14":"tag-culture","15":"tag-design","16":"tag-documentary","17":"tag-entertainment","18":"tag-history","19":"tag-interview","20":"tag-photojournalism","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}