2026 SDN Visual Storytelling Festival Speaker Series

Celebrating Black History Month with:
Coreen Simpson

Tuesday, February 24, 1:30 pm ET via Zoom

In conversation with Lisa DuBois
Moderated by Dudley Brooks

This program has been postponed. We will announce a new date when it has been rescheduled.
 

Photo by Coreen Simpson. Jamien, 1982, from the series B-Boys. Courtesy the artist 

Coreen Simpson

Coreen Simpson’s career began as a photojournalist covering political dignitaries, cultural icons, musicians, athletes and special events in New York, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Ms. Simpson became one of a handful of female photographers on regular assignment covering the Fashion Collections in Paris and New York. Her images have appeared in Vogue, Essence, Ms. Magazine, Paris Match, The New York Times, The Village Voice and numerous books and periodicals.

Now, at age 83, she is finally getting her due in Coreen Simpson: A Monograph, the first book devoted to her oeuvre. The volume—the second in Aperture’s heralded Vision & Justice book series—showcases this long-neglected artist, who shot for publications such as Vogue and Essence, and whose work resides in MoMA’s permanent collection. As Sarah Lewis, the founder of Vision & Justice, observes in an essay for the monograph: “Over the decades, the vast extent of Simpson’s artistic output—her documentation of Black life, Black culture, and Black style, accurately shown—resulted in a critical record for the project of representational justice.”

Simpson's work is in the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art, The Bronx Museum, Le Musee de la Photographie (Belgium) and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, among others. Danny Glover and Spike Lee are among her private collectors.
 

Lisa DuBois
Photo Editor and Diversity Advisory, Social Documentary Network

Lisa DuBois is an ethnographic photojournalist and curator. Her photography explores subcultures within mainstream society, expressing the search for meaning through environments, belief systems, and traditions. Sutton Gallery in New Orleans has presented Lisa's series on Black subculture, showcasing her strong respect for history and tradition. Her work has been exhibited both globally and domestically, with exhibitions at the Wallach Art Triennial, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Gordon Parks Museum, and Photoville. She has appeared in interviews with Bronx Net, NOLA TV, The New York Times, and the Guardian magazine. Lisa received a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts, as well as a degree in Metaphysical Science from the University of Metaphysics. Her honors include a BRIO grant for photography, the Harlem Arts Fellowship, the En Foco Fellowship, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Community Works N.Y.C. Lisa curated for Save Art Space and Art on the Avenue, both large-scale public art spaces. Her work has appeared in ZEKE magazine, Routes, and Edge of Humanity, including Getty Images and Loupe Art TV. She is a photo editor and diversity advisor for the Social Documentary Network.

Dudley M. Brooks
Former Deputy Director of Photography for The Washington Post

Dudley M. Brooks is the former Deputy Director of Photography for The Washington Post, where he forged the creative strategy and production of photography for the Features, Local and Sports departments. Before its discontinuance in December of 2022, he was also the Photo Editor of The Washington Post Magazine. Prior to this, he was the Director of Photography for the monthly magazine Ebony and Senior Photo Editor for its weekly sister periodical Jet - both formerly published by Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago. These iconic publications chronicled the African American experience for nearly eight decades and Brooks was a key member of the senior staff responsible for redefining their brand (2007-2014). His photojournalism career began in 1981 as a staff photographer for the Rockford Register Star newspaper in northern Illinois. Two years later, he joined the photography staff at The Washington Post, where he received numerous honors for his comprehensive and international work as a photographer. In 2005 he became the Assistant Managing Editor of Photography at The Baltimore Sun newspaper. Brooks was also the co-creator/director of the landmark international photo exhibition and best-selling book Songs of My People: African Americans – A Self-Portrait (sponsored by Time-Warner and published by Little-Brown, 1992). 

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