Renowned war photographer receives 2003 Mayer Award

Award-winning war photographer James Nachtwey was presented with a Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award Monday night, honoring his work in photographing conflict.

The award was established in 1993 to honor the work and life of Dr. Mayer, former President and Chancellor of Tufts, and is sponsored by the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership and EPIIC (Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship).

Nachtwey was chosen as a recipient because of his commitment to "what you see in the life of Jean Mayer," said Heather Barry, Associate Director of EPIIC. Barry describes Nachtwey as "somebody whose work we had long admired and had certainly represented many of EPIIC's themes over the years."

For the past 25 years, Nachtwey has covered conflicts in Northern Ireland, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, Thailand, India, Romania, and even the United States. Now a contract photographer for Time magazine, Nachtwey has received numerous awards, and his work has been shown all over the world. He has been honored six times as Magazine Photographer of the Year, and twice as the World Press Photographer of the Year.

"The only way I have remained dedicated to my work for the past 25 years is by seeing some value in my work," Nachtwey said after receiving his award. "I value the opinion of those who see my work."

Nachtwey said that he only feels like he has failed when people become indifferent to his photographs.

Though he has sacrificed a stable domestic life to pursue his career, Nachtwey has no regrets. "I did what I thought I had to do," he said. "I only have so much attention, and I devote as much as I can to my work."

Nachtwey, a Massachusetts native, studied Art History and Political Science at Dartmouth College. After graduating, he worked part-time jobs to cover the cost of photography. He became a newspaper photographer, but quit to become a freelance magazine photographer in New York. His work as a war photographer started after his first foreign assignment in 1981, covering the IRA hunger strike in Northern Ireland.

Answering questions about his future work, Nachtwey says he plans to continue in his job as long as he can. With the impending war in Iraq, Nachtwey believes that he may be sent abroad yet again.

"I haven't done much work in situations involving the American military, but in recent years it's becoming more difficult to do my job. There are more restrictions on the press in conflict situations than before," said Nachtwey.

For many students, the experience to see Nachtwey's work _ and in his words, "the suffering of war" _ was very powerful. After the presentation of the award, the audience honored Nachtwey with a standing ovation. One student in the audience made a point to thank Nachtwey for showing the strife around the world.

Freshman Christine Ash was impressed by the documentary and Nachtwey himself, "just because I personally can't comprehend remaining so composed and dedicated to his work over all those years." Ash believes that it is important for other people to see Nachtwey's work. "The fact that he has to see all the misery and poverty; people shouldn't have to see it, let alone experience it," she said.

The award was presented after a screening of director Christian Frei's Academy Award-nominated documentary, War Photographer. The film chronicles Nachtwey's experiences with genocide, famine, poverty, and destruction.

The Jean Mayer awards have been awarded to eleven people this year including Anne-Marie Slaughter, Richard K. Noble, and Romeo Dallaire. The awards are given out over a month-long period.