Join us at ICP for the first installment of the spring Naomi Rosenblum ICP Talks Photographer lecture series featuring renowned documentary photographer and activist Donna Ferrato. Ferrato will discuss the trajectory of her work from the 1970s to the present day and be joined in conversation by ICP Creative Director David Campany.
This program is being offered both in person at ICP, located on NYC's Lower East Side, and online. Current ICP students and faculty of the One-Year Certificate programs are automatically enrolled and invited to attend all lectures.
Past speakers of the Naomi Rosenblum ICP Talks Lecture series include: JEB, Philip Cheung, Edwaard Burtynsky, Naima Green, David Alekhuogie, Keisha Scarville, Johnny Miller, and Erin Schaff.
About the Series
ICP is thrilled to honor Naomi Rosenblum’s contribution to the field and to further her life’s work through this lecture series. Naomi Rosenblum was one of the leading photography historians of her generation and the author of A World History of Photography and A History of Women Photographers. The 2025-2026 Naomi Rosenblum ICP Talks Photographer Lecture Series is made possible through generous support from the Rosenblum Family.
About the Speakers
Donna Ferrato is a celebrated documentary photographer and activist known for her fearless work confronting domestic violence and championing human rights. Her life’s mission began in the 1980s when, during an assignment, she witnessed a man violently assault his partner. In that moment, she raised her camera—not only to capture the truth, but to stop the violence. That photograph launched a decades-long commitment to expose the hidden abuse behind closed doors.
Her landmark book, Living With The Enemy (Aperture), ignited international awareness and outrage, breaking taboos around domestic abuse and giving voice to survivors. Her more recent work, Holy (powerHouse Books, 2020), honors individuals who fight for dignity, freedom, and equality in the face of injustice. In 2021, Ferrato received a grant from the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Gender-Based Violence to create art addressing the criminalization of survivors. The result, The Wall of Silence, stood in the shadow of New York’s highest courts—an immersive public installation that became both protest and sanctuary. It resonated deeply during the 2023 self-defense trial of Tracy McCarter, contributing to a broader movement for justice.
Ferrato’s work has earned numerous prestigious accolades, including the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography, the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Outstanding Coverage of the Disadvantaged, the Courage in Journalism Award from the IWMF, and the Missouri Medal of Honor for Distinguished Service in Journalism. In 2008, New York City declared October 30th “Donna Ferrato Appreciation Day,” and in 2025, she received an honorary doctorate from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her photographs are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Library of Congress. Her work lives everywhere. Ferrato is represented by the Daniel Cooney Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dr. Ferrato thrives in New York City. She is a featured member of with Two By Two Media, a nonprofit platform founded by photographer Gigi Stoll to support and celebrate the work of female artists over the age of 70.
David Campany is Creative Director of the International Center of Photography, New York. He has worked worldwide with institutions including MoMA New York, Tate, Whitechapel Gallery London, Centre Pompidou, Le Bal Paris, ICP New York, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, The Photographer’s Gallery London, ParisPhoto, PhotoLondon, The National Portrait Gallery London, Aperture, Steidl, MIT Press, Thames & Hudson, MACK and Frieze.
Image by Donna Ferrato
