Photographer John Chervinsky, whose work explored the concept of time, passed away in December of 2015, following a typically resolute battle with pancreatic cancer. The modesty and unassuming character John conveyed in life belies the extent to which he will be missed, not only by his family and friends, but also by the entire photographic community of which he was so proud to be a part.

The John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship was announced in June 2016 to recognize, encourage and reward photographers with the potential to create a body of work and sustain solo exhibitions. Awarded annually, the Scholarship provides recipients with a monetary award, a Master class with Mary Virginia Swanson, an exhibition of their work at the Griffin Museum of Photography, and a volume from John’s personal library of photography books. The Scholarship seeks to provide a watershed moment in the professional lives of emerging photographers, providing them with the support and encouragement necessary to develop, articulate and grow their own vision for photography.

The first year in 2016, 166 photographers submitted applications to be considered for the scholarship.

After much thought and consideration the judges (Leslie K. Brown, Barbara Hitchcock, Mary Virginia Swanson and Richard Levy), chose Tricia Gahagan as the first recipient of the John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship.

The judges also put forth a group of six finalists they felt should be noted, each of whom were ranked at the highest level by no less than 3 out of 4 Judges. The Finalists are:
Vanessa Filley, Ville Kansanen, Wen Hang Lin, Katie Mack, Tiziana Rozzo and Rebecca L. Webb.

One of the judges, Mary Virginia Swanson said, “In viewing the applications to the Inaugural John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship, I could not help but think of John and his creative practice.”

She went on to say, “Within the applications there were dozens of compelling projects that bore evidence of exploration of both ideas and process. Upon viewing Tricia Gahagan’s project “11:11 Connecting With Consciousness” and reading her applications documents, I felt she had achieved that and more; I sense she is approaching her project with deep and profound contemplation. Gahagan envisions life’s most complex issues in this series of simple images, affording the viewer a path towards their own contemplative journey.”

The call for new submissions will occur on August 1, 2017. The exhibition for Gahagan and the six Finalists will open on September 7, 2017.