Fielding Alum Dr. Laura Sherwood Serving as Mentor at 30 Years of Photovoice Virtual Conference in October

Fielding alum Laura Sherwood, Ph.D. (HOD ’21), is a conference mentor for the upcoming “30 Years of Photovoice: Past, Present Future” Virtual Conference from Oct. 20-22, 2022.

Dr. Sherwood will help mentees with Photovoice Theory vs. Practice in a 50-minute session. The conference consists of three days of presentations, networking, and workshops. 

Laura Sherwood, Ph.D.

Dr. Sherwood graduated from Fielding in 2021 with a Ph.D. in Human Development. She is a qualitative researcher and community program development specialist based in Frederick, MD. Her dissertation was titled, “Why Art Matters: Dismantling Dominant Narratives through Art and Digital Feminist Activism.” The study’s purpose was to “understand how female activist[s] are raising consciousness on critical social issues and elevating the voices of marginalized communities through art.” She spent four years observing and engaging with each activist to understand how each utilized visual art and social media to amplify their voices and lived experiences within two of India’s most vulnerable communities. Learn more about Dr. Sherwood’s work.

The photovoice practice has had a global impact for 30 years. Created by Caroline Wang, Mary Ann Burris, and their Chinese colleagues, the first project brought Chinese village women’s voices into a regional development project in Yunnan Province. Since that moment, photovoice practitioners have created thousands of projects around the world, with photovoice efforts culminating with the annual conference. This conference brings photovoice practitioners together with shared experiences, mutual learning, positive change, and more.

While Dr. Sherwood’s session is at full capacity, other mentors have open sessions on Oct. 22 from 12:55 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. 

Conference registration ends on Sept. 30. Learn more and purchase tickets for the conference and mentoring sessions.