Media freedom, civil rights groups to hold press conference about prolonged ICE detention of journalist Mario Guevara

 Via Committee to Protect Journalists 

July 18, 2025

New York, July 18, 2025—Lawyers representing Mario Guevara, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Free Press, and the Georgia First Amendment Foundation will hold a press conference on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 10 a.m. to reaffirm calls for the release of the Atlanta-based journalist from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

The press conference will highlight the troubling implications Guevera’s case has for First Amendment rights in Georgia and across the nation.

Guevara, an Emmy-winning, Spanish-language journalist, who frequently filmed ICE and law enforcement raids, was originally arrested on First Amendment-related charges while livestreaming a “No Kings” protest in an Atlanta suburb on June 14. He is currently the only journalist in custody in the U.S. whose arrest was in relation to the work of newsgathering.

The journalist, who has lawfully resided in the U.S. for over 20 years, was placed in ICE custody on June 18 where he remains, despite being in the country legally.

Guevara arrived legally in the United States from El Salvador in April 2004. He has remained in the country lawfully since, applying for asylum in 2005 due to the dangers he faced as a journalist in El Salvador. Over the next twenty years, Guevara developed a large following in the Atlanta area, as well as national recognition, for his reporting on immigration issues.

WHAT: Press conference on journalist Mario Guevara’s continued ICE detention

WHEN: Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 10 a.m. EDT. Please arrive ahead of time. ID required.

WHERE: Georgia State Capitol, South Wing, (security entrance on Capitol Square SW)

RSVP: Please register here to attend.

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Federal Judge Tells LAPD to Stop Shooting at Journalists

 Via The New Republic

July 11, 2025

U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera blocked Los Angeles police from using less lethal munitions and other crowd control weapons against reporters—and told them to stop arresting journalists.

 A federal judge just had to remind police that they shouldn’t shoot at journalists after several violent encounters during the protests opposing the Trump administration’s disastrous ICE raids in Los Angeles.

U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera blocked the Los Angeles Police Department from wrongfully preventing journalists from accessing closed off areas, detaining or arresting journalists while they’re reporting, and using less lethal munitions (LLMs) and other crowd control weapons against them.

In a 14 page-filing, Vera said that the First Amendment claims made by the Los Angeles Press Club were likely to succeed, and granted them a temporary restraining order. “Indeed, given the fundamental nature of the speech interests involved and the almost daily protests throughout Southern California drawing media coverage, the identified harm is undoubtedly imminent and concrete,” he wrote in a filing.

Vera recounted multiple instances of journalists being cordoned away from the protests or detained and arrested by officers. Documentarian and activist Anthony Orendoff was detained for four days despite telling officers he was a member of the press.

Vera also recounted many instances of violence against members of the press. In one instance, an officer appeared to aim his gun at 9News Australia’s Lauren Tomasi while she was reporting live, and fired a rubber bullet which hit her in the leg on air. Photojournalist Michael Nigro, who stood high above the protests in a press vest and helmet, heard the sound of LLMs hitting a pole by his head, and later that day was struck in the helmet by a rubber bullet. Another unidentified photojournalist with a press pass was pushed over by a police officer, and trampled by a police horse.

Vera barred officers from “prohibiting a journalist from entering or remaining in the closed areas.” The judge also prohibited officers from “intentionally assaulting, interfering with, or obstructing any journalist” who is “gathering, “receiving, or processing information for communication to the public.”

He also barred officers from “citing, detaining, or arresting a journalist who is in a closed area for failure to disperse, curfew violation, or obstruction of a law enforcement officer for gathering, receiving, or processing information,” or using LLMs, like rubber bullets, and other crowd control measures like flash-bangs and chemical irritants like tear gas.

A hearing for a preliminary injunction was set for July 24.

Related: Via Poynter As police face lawsuits over attacks on journalists during LA protests, experts warn press safety is disappearing across the US

"Yet these cases expose a deeper national crisis: Even in states with explicit legal protections for journalists, law enforcement often disregards those safeguards with impunity during high-tension protests, revealing the fragility of press freedoms in the face of unchecked police power."

In the Hallowed Place Where There’s Only Darkness: Photography by Nina Berman, Essay by Ellen Schrecker

 Via VQR

July 10, 2025

Columbia University by Nina Berman

"For more than fifty years, I have been studying and writing about political repression and higher education, with a special emphasis on McCarthyism, long considered by historians to be the most serious assault on academic freedom since the emergence of the modern university. But, as Nina Berman’s photographs of Columbia University show, what has been happening to the American academy these days is incommensurably worse. Berman, who teaches in the journalism school at Columbia, has spent decades documenting protests and the like, and naturally did so again in 2024, when pro-Palestinian demonstrations unfolded on the campus where she teaches. In the year since, she has continued to photograph with an almost diaristic discipline, and has amassed a visual narrative of Columbia’s painful transformation. In these haunting images of a locked-down campus bristling with surveillance cameras and security guards, we see autocracy revealed in the form of a restive yet silent space under control. Because Columbia’s leaders have capitulated to the Trump administration, a once-proud citadel of higher learning and independent thought is losing its credibility." --click for full article 

Related: Podcast - Nina Berman: A Lens on Consequence

Podcast - Nina Berman: A Lens on Consequence

Via Foto

 Foto 026 - Nina Berman by Michael Howard

 

 In this episode, Michael talks with Nina Berman, a documentary photographer, filmmaker, and professor whose work interrogates the relationship between power, militarization, and the American experience. Over a career spanning three decades, Nina has consistently focused her lens on systems of violence and their aftermath, from war zones to police training grounds to the staged patriotism of political spectacle.

A Guggenheim Fellow, two-time World Press Photo winner, and professor at Columbia Journalism School, Nina is also the author of three major books: Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq, Homeland, and An Autobiography of Miss Wish. Her photographs have been exhibited in venues such as the Whitney Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

In this conversation, she discusses how her work has evolved from portraits of wounded veterans to broader investigations into how militarized thinking permeates everyday American life. She reflects on the ethics of long-term documentary work, the emotional cost of sustained witnessing, and why photography remains a vital civic act.

This is a powerful episode with one of the most uncompromising voices in American documentary photography — a conversation about courage, clarity, and using your camera to look directly at the systems that define our time.

Reporting under fire: Protests and press freedom in Los Angeles, a virtual webinar event with Freedom of the Press Foundation

 Via Freedom Of The Press Foundation

Wednesday, July 9, 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT

Webinar Registration - Zoom

Journalists covering recent demonstrations in California have been assaulted, detained, shot with crowd-control munitions, and had their equipment searched — simply for doing their jobs.

Freelance and independent reporters are especially vulnerable, yet they continue to document how immigration raids impact communities and how law enforcement responds to civil unrest. Some of the journalists joining us are also plaintiffs in lawsuits pushing back against police actions that threaten press freedom and violate the First Amendment. 

Join us to hear their firsthand accounts and learn what it means to uphold the public’s right to know in the streets and on the front lines. 

If you cannot attend, help protect the rights of these journalists and defend press freedom everywhere by making a donation to support our work at this link.

On July 9th, we’ll be joined by:

- Adam Rose, Press rights chair and secretary at LA Press Club

- Ben Camacho, Journalist and co-founder of The Southlander

- Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, Independent videographer

- Tina-Desiree Berg, Journalist for Status Coup and other outlets

- Caitlin Vogus, Freedom of the Press Foundation senior adviser

Exhibition & Film Screening: FRAGMENTS IN TIME Ashley Gilbertson & Franco Pagetti in Association With Monroe Gallery

 Via Mad Rose Gallery

FRAGMENTS IN TIME

Ashley Gilbertson & Franco Pagetti

Reception: Saturday July 12th 12-5pm

Mad Rose Gallery’s Mercantile

5 Main Street, Millerton, NY

Exhibition runs: July 4th - August 30th

EXHIBITION COURTESY OF MONROE GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

FILM SCREENING- “ONLY THE DEAD SEE THE END OF WAR” 

Sunday July 13th, 3pm

Q&A: Writer/Producer Justine Rosenthal & Writer/Director Michael Ware 

“What is today a trace, tomorrow becomes record”

-Franco Pagetti

MAD ROSE GALLERY is honored to present the work of distinguished photographers Ashley Gilbertson (Australia) and Franco Pagetti (Italy).

Their photographs trace the subtle topography of human experience— where stillness carries weight and absence speaks. From snow-laden vineyards to fractured interiors, each image is an act of bearing witness: restrained, exacting and quietly profound.

Here, the visible and the invisible are held in tension— not explained, merely observed.

Join us as we celebrate these two photographers and their gifts of extracting from the real.

Ashley Gilbertson

Officer Eugene Goodman: The Storming of The Capitol, Washington, D.C., January 6, 2021

Ashley Gilbertson is an Australian photographer and writer living in New York City, recognized for his critical eye and unique approach to social issues. Gilbertson is a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, ProPublica and UNICEF. Gilbertson’s photography is in museum permanent collections across the world, including The Smithsonian, Centre Georges Pompidou, National Gallery of Victoria, Harvard Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Art in Houston, and The National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York.

Franco Pagetti has spent years working in conflict zones, though he has never considered himself a war photographer. His enduring focus lies with the people, traces that history leave on faces, gestures and places. With a background in science and a past in fashion, his eye blends rigor with instinct. His photographs have appeared in TIME, The New York Times, Newsweek and in campaigns for brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, San Pellegrino, Nespresso and Armani. Whether in Baghdad or backstage, Pagetti doesn’t chase events, he observes what they leave behind. A contributor to The VII Foundation. When not on the road, he lives in Milan, Italy.

Watch the trailer

Only the Dead is Dr. Justine A. Rosenthal and Michael Ware’s documentary retrospective of seven years, beginning with the “Coalition of the Willing’s” invasion of Iraq in 2003. It records the birth of the Islamic State in 2003, reveals a US war crime committed by soldiers in 2007, and takes you to the front lines of the conflict’s greatest battles. Only the Dead was nominated for an Emmy in the outstanding current affairs program category. In Australia, the film won the prestigious Walkley Award (Australian Pulitzer Prize) and collected three AACTA’s (the Australian Oscars)

Dr. Justine A. Rosenthal is an expert in international affairs and terrorism, and the former head of Newsweek magazine’s global operations. She served as editorial director of the Newsweek /Daily Beast Company and executive editor of the print magazine. Rosenthal was previously editor of the prestigious The National Interest foreign policy journal based in Washington, DC where she published heads of state such as Henry Kissinger, former CIA operatives and analysts, military professionals and leaders in academia. Michael Ware is CEO/President of Penance Films and TV, an independent documentary company which he co-owns with Rosenthal. Best known for his coverage of "Operation Iraqi Freedom," he lived in Baghdad for most of the war, first writing for Time magazine. In 2006 he became chief prime-time foreign correspondent for CNN. During his time with the network, he also presented two specials for CNN International, "Pakistan's Vital Vote" and "Iraq: Inside the Surge."

MAD ROSE GALLERY at The Mercantile is a new multipurpose art space in the heart of Millerton, New York that fosters an inclusive, creative community. Through curated exhibitions, educational programs, and events, we aim to inspire, connect, and enrich lives, celebrating both emerging voices & established artists. 

The Mercantile upcoming workshop series will include Photography, Painting, Drawing, Collage and Yoga classes Wednesdays - Sundays. 

Art Daily: Monroe Gallery hosts Eugene Tapahe's healing "Jingle Dress Project" exhibit

 

Via ArtDaily.com

July 5, 2025

Monroe Gallery hosts Eugene Tapahe's healing "Jingle Dress Project" exhibit

Eugene Tapahe

Strength In Unity, Tetons National Park, the native land of the Shoshone, Bannock, Gros Ventre, and Nez Perce People, 2021

SANTA FE, NM.- Monroe Gallery of Photography opens a very special exhibit of large format photographs by Diné (Navajo) photographer Eugene Tapahe: Art Heals, The Jingle Dress Project.

The exhibit opens July 5, 2025, with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. It will continue during the renowned Santa Fe Indian Market weekend, the world’s largest Native American art market, August 16 and 17, and conclude on September 14, 2025.

Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project originated from a dream Tapahe had during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring him to unite the land and people through the healing power of the Ojibwe jingle dress dance during uncertain times of illness and social differences. Since then, Tapahe has traveled thousands of miles documenting family members and friends dancing the healing honor dance in National Parks and Monuments, honoring the places where their ancestors once lived. Tapahe describes the images as “incredibly powerful and spiritual. Looking at them, I still can't believe I took these photographs. I believe this project is larger than myself, and I hope that when people view them, they feel the same way – that we are all blessed to be in the presence of such beauty.”

The Jingle Dress Project has brought healing to Tapahe’s family, friends, and ancestors and garnered national and international recognition for its unifying effect on communities. The images have raised awareness of many Native American issues, such as land acknowledgment, women’s rights, and, most importantly, the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).

During the project, Tapahe discovered one overarching metaphor. “I put my hand on one of the jingles and I shook it. That one jingle didn’t make any sound,” he said. “But together, they have the power to heal. As human beings, if we are able to unite ourselves and our prayers and make a beautiful sound as the jingle dress does, we could be powerful.”

Eugene Tapahe is a contemporary artist inspired by his Diné (Navajo) traditions and modern experiences. He is originally from Window Rock, Arizona. Tapahe has loved photography since the first time he picked up a camera, and realized the special gift for telling stories through his art. He has a deep desire to continue photographing the lands his ancestors once walked.

Tapahe has received numerous awards, including the Best of Show award for his photography at the Cherokee Indian Market (2018) and the Museum of Northern Arizona (2019), making him the first photographer to achieve this honor.

Tapahe has also been honored with two International Awards of Excellence from Communication Arts magazine. His work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, DC), the Birmingham Museum of Art (Alabama), The Toledo Museum (Ohio), Speed Art Museum (Kentucky), the Arizona State Museum, the Minnesota History Center Museum, and the College of Wooster Art Museum (Ohio).

Santa Fe July 4: Pancakes On The Plaza

 

Via Santa Fe Rotary Club

Pancakes on the Plaza is flipping back into action. Every Fourth of July, the heart of downtown fills with the smell of sizzling pancakes, the sparkle of classic cars, rows of amazing local art, and thousands of smiling faces. It is not just a breakfast — it is the way Northern New Mexico celebrates Independence Day. We are proud to announce that Pancakes on the Plaza will help deliver $200,000 in grants over the next two years to support Santa Fe nonprofits making a real difference.

When you buy a ticket, you are not just enjoying a plate of fluffy goodness — you are helping local families thrive, students succeed, and our whole community shine a little brighter. Pancakes on the Plaza is brought to you by the Rotary Club of Santa Fe — 80 Rotarians, over 300 volunteers, and a whole lot of heart. Thanks to your support and your big appetite, we are making a real impact. Eat pancakes. Have fun. Make a difference.

Take a short walk to Monroe Gallery to see a preview of an important new exhibition featuring a photography series by artist Eugene Tapahe titled Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project. The exhibit opens July 5, 2025, with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m, and the Gallery will be open July 4 from 10 - 2.

Hot Mirror Article: Eugene Tapahe: Healing and the Jingle Dress

 Via Hot Mirror

June 26, 2025

Togetherness, Sisters, Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, Goshute and Timpanogos, 2023

©Eugene Tapahe, Courtesy of Monroe Gallery

Eugene Tapahe: Healing and the Jingle Dress by Brian Byrd

Brian Byrd is a freelance photographer with more than two decades of experience advancing communication as a catalyst for social change. He serves on the board of directors for the Overseas Press Club of America and the advisory board for WITNESS, a global NGO founded by musician Peter Gabriel that uses video and digital technology to document human rights violations.

Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project - New Exhibit

While wandering through this year's Association of International Photography Dealers (AIPAD) show in New York City, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the vast number of photographs on display. Yet among the visual cacophony, the Monroe Gallery booth stood out as one of the few to highlight the work of Native American artists. Eugene Tapahe's photographs from his Art Heals project commanded attention—not merely for their striking colors juxtaposed against nature's beauty, but for the profound story they tell. These images, featuring jingle dress dancers in magnificent landscapes, invite viewers into a space where cultural heritage, environmental connection, and healing converge in visual harmony.

Walking in Beauty

"I draw inspiration from my Diné (Navajo) traditions and modern experiences," said Tapahe. "My work reflects the beauty and resilience of Native American culture. I strive to unite these two worlds in my concepts while transcending worldly uncertainties."

At the core of Tapahe's artistic vision is the traditional Navajo philosophy "to always walk in beauty," a principle that guides both his creative practice and personal journey. Through various visual mediums—photography, video, printmaking, installation, and mixed-media sculpture—Tapahe creates a delicate balance between past and present, using subtle contrasts, natural colors, and contours to offer unity, hope, and healing in a world often marked by disconnection.

In the early months of 2020, as the world retreated into isolation, the Diné (Navajo) artist found himself at a painful crossroads. His art shows were canceling one by one, and personal tragedy struck when he lost his aunt to COVID-19. "I felt like I was broken," he recalls. "I felt like there was nothing good going to happen."

Then came the dream that would change everything.

Tapahe describes a peaceful vision where he sat in a Yellowstone meadow watching grazing bison. The tranquility was interrupted by the distinct sound of jingles—and suddenly, beautiful jingle dress dancers appeared, performing alongside the bison. He awoke with a profound sense of healing and hope, immediately sharing his vision with his family.

"This dream is telling me that we need to take the jingle dress to the land, to heal the land," Tapahe told his wife and daughters. "And if we heal the land, we're going to heal the people." --click for full article

The exhibit opens July 5, 2025, with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. It will continue during the renowned Santa Fe Indian Market weekend, the world’s largest Native American art market, August 16 and 17, and conclude on September 14, 2025. 

Save The Date: July 5 Artist Talk With Eugene Tapahe

 

Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to announce an important exhibition featuring a photography series by artist Eugene Tapahe titled Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project. The exhibit opens July 5, 2025, with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. Space is limited please arrive early.

The exhibit will continue during the renowned Santa Fe Indian Market weekend, the world’s largest Native American art market, August 16 and 17, and conclude on September 14, 2025. 

Eugene Tapahe is a contemporary artist inspired by his Diné (Navajo) traditions and modern experiences. He is originally from Window Rock, Arizona. Tapahe has loved photography since the first time he picked up a camera, and realized the special gift for telling stories through his art. He has a deep desire to continue photographing the lands his ancestors once walked. 

Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project originated from a dream Tapahe had during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring him to unite the land and people through the healing power of the Ojibwe jingle dress dance during uncertain times of illness and social differences. Since then, Tapahe has traveled thousands of miles documenting family members and friends dancing the healing honor dance in National Parks and Monuments, honoring the places where their ancestors once lived. Tapahe describes the images as “incredibly powerful and spiritual. Looking at them, I still can't believe I took these photographs. I believe this project is larger than myself, and I hope that when people view them, they feel the same way – that we are all blessed to be in the presence of such beauty.” 

The Jingle Dress Project has brought healing to Tapahe’s family, friends, and ancestors and garnered national and international recognition for its unifying effect on communities. The images have raised awareness of many Native American issues, such as land acknowledgment, women’s rights, and, most importantly, the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).  

Gallery hours are 10 to 5 daily, and admission is free. For further information, please call or e-mail the Gallery.

View the exhibition here