Deadline: January 16, 2023
The Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project addresses the crisis of broken social trust that has left Americans divided, isolated and unable to address our common needs. Yet in every community, some people are showing up for neighbors, building trust, and recognizing they share more than they differ. We call them weavers and they can heal our nation.
To inspire others to become weavers, the Weave project seeks photos that show people who see the full dignity in each other, are building relationships, and work together, across difference, to solve shared needs.
That might be someone offering free haircuts to those living in the street, or a person taking time to hear the story of those leading different lives.
Or it might be an image of a community event, where people are interacting, having fun or working together.
Weavers are all different. Some work at a suicide hotline, a mentoring program or in schools. Others run a coffee shop where everybody feels at home. Still others gather neighbors to talk, or simply stop to listen when they see someone in need. They invest in relationships and work to make their communities stronger. Offering words and actions that say, “I’ve got you,” they transform their communities and their own lives.
Submitted images should reflect the Weave project’s mission to inspire people to show up for others across differences. The images should be simple, direct and honest. They should recognize the gritty and harsh parts of life, yet also capture the power of relationships to provide hope, give meaning, and offer solutions. Weave’s brand is:
RELATIONAL: Photos should portray two or more people engaging with each other. Weave is about the relationship and not the individual. Capture the power of the interaction. Rarely would subjects be looking at the camera.
INCLUSIVE: Weavers include people of all backgrounds and ages. Photos should show rural and urban settings, interfaith engagement, cross-generational connections, and racial and ideological bridging. Subjects should not appear to be related to each other.
MUTUAL: Weaving is not about doing charity and offering kindness to those who are needy. It is about trusting and building deep connections as equals that are meaningful to all those involved. Avoid images that make people look heroic. Avoid group shots, conferences, and meetings which do not show meaningful relationships.
LOCAL: Photos should be shot on location, not in a studio, and give a sense of a neighborhood when possible. Hyperrealism, exaggerating the location for the purpose of storytelling, is acceptable. Scenarios must be honest, not manipulated, and believable.
Preferences
- ● Focus on the relationship between people while maintaining a recognizable background.
- ● Natural lighting.
- ● Photos should not be overly retouched or manipulated.
- ● Avoid corporate logos on clothing, props and backgrounds.
- All requirements and more details are on the direct link.
