Michael Forster Rothbart
Michael Forster Rothbart | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States |
| Alma mater | Swarthmore College |
| Occupation | Photojournalist |
| Notable work | Would You Stay? |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | afterchernobyl |
Michael Forster Rothbart is an American photojournalist. He is best known for his work documenting the human impact of nuclear disasters.
Education and career
[edit]At 17, Michael Forster Rothbart joined and photographed the Icewalk North Pole expedition.[1]
Forster Rothbart graduated from Swarthmore College in 1994 and decided to become a documentary photographer in 1996, when traveling in India. He saw a World Bank-financed dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat and found that local activist's views and community impact was undocumented.[2]
He has worked as a staff photographer for the University of Wisconsin and as an Associated Press photographer in Central Asia.[1][3] Other projects include documenting the effects of hydrofracking and USAID's programs in Central Asia.[4][5]
He was a staff photographer and photo editor at SUNY Oneonta,[6] where he also taught photojournalism. He spent 2016-2017 in Donetsk, Ukraine, working for OSCE.
Work in nuclear-affected communities
[edit]After receiving a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship, in 2007 Forster Rothbart interviewed and photographed residents in and around Chernobyl.[7][8] For two years, he lived in Sukachi, Ukraine, a small farming village just outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and also spent time in Slavutych, Ukraine, the city built after the accident to house evacuated Chernobyl plant personnel.[1][8]
His photos were initially toured to American communities facing their own nuclear contamination as part of an exhibit, After Chernobyl . Forster Rothbart explained that "I created this exhibit because I want the world to know what I know: the people of Chernobyl are not victims, mutants and orphans. They are simply people living their lives, with their own joys and sorrows, hopes and fears. Like you. Like me."[8] During each exhibit, Forster Rothbart lead photography workshops and public forums, engaging the communities in dialogue about their own local issues.[1][8]
In 2012, Forster Rothbart launched a parallel project in Fukushima, Japan. He has started photographing nuclear plant workers, refugees and returning residents over a period of years.[9] [10]
A book of photos, interviews and essays was published October 21, 2013, by TED Books.[10][11] Entitled “Would You Stay?”, it features personal narrative, photos, interviews, maps and audio recordings in an attempt to understand why people refuse to leave Chernobyl and Fukushima despite the risks.[12][9][10][11] He later gave a TED talk about this work.[13]
The National Press Photographers Association’s Best Of Photojournalism 2014 competition awarded “Would You Stay?” first place in the Multimedia Tablet/Mobile category, third place for Best Use of Multimedia and an honorable mention in the Contemporary Issues category.[12][14]
Personal life
[edit]Forster Rothbart is the father of two and lives in upstate New York with his spouse .[15][16][17] He identifies as a Quaker, which he says complements work in photography, and attends Quaker meetings.[2][16] He enjoys hiking and likes to take his family camping.[15] His younger brother is author and filmmaker Davy Rothbart.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "AFTER CHERNOBYL, AFTER FUKUSHIMA". Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
- ^ a b Michael Forster Rothbart (July 2011). "Chernobyl Witness". Swarthmore Bulletin. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ "'After Chernobyl' by Michael Forster Rothbart". Swarthmore Bulletin. April 9, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ David Pacchioli (October 2010). "Rock and an Old Place". Swarthmore Bulletin. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ Harriett Destler (February 2001). "Faces of Central Asia" (PDF). USAID Frontlines. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ "SUNY Oneonta photoblog". SUNY Oneonta. February 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ "After Chernobyl, the images of photojournalist Michael Forster Rothbart". CEERES. April 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Trip Gabriel (April 2, 2014). "Michael Forster Rothbart Photo Exhibit". Friends of Chernobyl Centers US. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "After nuclear disaster, some opt to stay". CNN. November 9, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Those who stayed in Chernobyl and Fukushima: An excerpt from the new TED Book brings you inside Control Room 4". TED. October 31, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ a b Michelle Quint (October 31, 2013). "A story of people, not of radiation: A conversation about those still living near Chernobyl and Fukushima". TEDBlog. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Michael Forster Rothbart Wins Photojournalism Awards". SUNY Oneota Daily Bulletin. SUNY Oneota. April 2, 2014. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ Julianne McCall (April 5, 2014). "Boxing outside the think: Michael Forster Rothbart at TEDxFulbright". TED. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ Donald R. Winslow (March 24, 2014). "NEW YORK TIMES WINS NPPA'S BEST USE OF MULTIMEDIA". NPAA. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Summit Fever". The Sun Magazine. SUNY Oneota. January 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ^ a b Michael Forster Rothbart (April 2, 2014). "Seekers and Shooters: A Quaker Photojournalist Reflects on Witnessing". Friends Journal. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ Adriana Widdoes (July 2, 2012). ""Someday" by Michael Forster Rothbar". Smith. Retrieved May 1, 2014.