George Awde

George Awde is a photographer and educator whose work is widely exhibited in the US and internationally. American, born of Lebanese descent, he currently lives in the US and in Beirut, Lebanon. Awde received a MFA in Photography from Yale University following both a MA and BFA in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston.

This photograph is from a series entitled, “Quiet Crossings”. Here Awde presents an intimate portrayal of contemporary Middle East masculinity showing the new complexities and closeness of the Kurdish men who have to leave their impoverished rural communities in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq to find work in Beirut. Awde begins his photographic projects by establishing a long-term interaction with his subjects, making his photographs predominantly an intimate and personal examination of culture and identity along with notions of home and family laced with political overtones.

George Awde is a recipient of a Fulbright US Scholar Grant and a Fellowship from the Aaron Siskind Foundation among many other awards.

The response to the competition each year has been exciting and brought many talented photographers’ work to the attention of the Museum’s curatorial staff. With the competition, we have added work of twelve very talented arts both experienced and emerging. Limited edition prints of this photograph are available at a cost of $600.

For more information contact:: Photography Portfolio Competition; The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art; P.O. Box 7646; Philadelphia, Pa 19101-7646; E-mail: twcpma@philamusuem.org; Telephone: 215-684-7936