In-person tickets for this event are sold out. Tickets for online access to watch the program virtually are still available and can be accessed above.

ICP alumni Philip Montgomery releases his first monograph through Aperture, Philip Montgomery: American Mirror, a compelling documentation of America’s tumultuous last decade, from the protests following the death of Michael Brown in 2014 to the recent pandemic and siege on the US Capitol. 

Join ICP and Aperture for a conversation and book signing for American Mirror, featuring New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb and Philip Montgomery, as they examine the themes, images, and stories within American Mirror. 

Reserve a signed copy of Philip Montgomery: American Mirror (Aperture $60) through ICP's shop or pick up your copy in person at the event. 

This program is being offered both in person and online. Tickets are free with suggested donation. In Person and Online tickets are not interchangeable.

Tickets to attend this program in person at ICP located on the Lower East Side in NYC can be reserved here. In-person tickets include museum access. 

Tickets for online access to watch the program virtually can be reserved here
 

About the Book

American Mirror, published by Aperture, is the first monograph by award-winning photographer Philip Montgomery and a dramatic chronicle of the United States at a time of profound upheaval. 

Through his intimate and powerful reporting and a signature black-and white style, Montgomery reveals the fault lines in American society, from police violence and the opioid addiction crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrations in support of Black lives. Yet in his unflinching images, viewers can also see moments of grace and sacrifice, glimmers of solidarity and tireless advocates for democracy. 

American Mirror distills Montgomery’s vision through seventy-one iconic images, spanning the protests following the death of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014; to the inauguration of President Joe Biden, shortly after the siege on the US Capitol, in January 2021. Like Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans before him, Montgomery’s photographs transcend the circumstances of his reporting, becoming lyrical emblems of struggle and survival. In American Mirror, Montgomery has created an unforgettable testament of a nation at a crossroads. 

American Mirror features essays by New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb, one of the leading voices on issues related to race, politics, and history; and by Patrick Radden Keefe, author of the New York Times best-selling books Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (2021) and Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland (2019).

About the Program Format

This program is being offered in person and online. 

For in person ticket holders, the program will take place in the Library at the International Center of Photography, located at 79 Essex, New York, NY 10002. All program attendees must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask throughout their visit. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis.

For online ticket holders, those who register for online access will receive a confirmation email with a link located at the bottom of the email under ‘Important Information’ to join the program on Zoom through a computer or mobile device.

We recommend participants download the Zoom app on their device prior to the program. Learn how to download the latest version of Zoom to your computer or mobile device.

If you do not receive the link by 11 AM on the day of the lecture or if you have questions about the virtual program, please contact: programs@icp.org.

Speaker Bios

Philip Montgomery (born in California, 1988) has published photography chronicling American politics, culture, and society in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, New York Times Magazine, Zeit Magazin, TIME, Harper’s, the Atlantic, Aperture, and Foam Magazine, among others. In 2018, he received the National Magazine Award for his reporting on the opioid epidemic in the US. He lives and works in New York City.

Jelani Cobb is Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University, New York. He is author of The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress (2010) and editor of The Essential Harold Cruse: A Reader (2002) and The Essential Kerner Commission Report: The Landmark Study on Race, Inequality, and Police Violence (2021). He is a staff writer at the New Yorker. 

About Aperture 
Aperture, a not-for-profit foundation, connects the photo community and its audiences with the most inspiring work, the sharpest ideas, and with each other—in print, in person, and online. Created in 1952 by photographers and writers as “common ground for the advancement of photography,” Aperture today is a multi-platform publisher and center for the photo community. From its base in New York, Aperture Foundation produces, publishes, and presents a variety of photography projects and programs—locally, across the United States, and around the world. Aperture’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. 

Event Price

This program is free with a suggested donation of $5.