North Andover High School Graduate Wins Photo Award

2013 Nov 27

North Andover native Alexandra Mason, a 2010 graduate of North Andover High School, placed third in the Park Award for Photo Activism competition, a project intended to inspire students at Ithaca (N.Y.) College to use photography as a tool to effect social change.

Mason created a photo documentary of the Friendship Donations Network, an Ithaca-based organization that saves food that would otherwise be thrown out by grocery stores and gives it to community members in need. She won a $300 prize that was presented to the Friendship Donations Network in her name.

Mason, a senior majoring in film, photography and visual arts, used the opportunity to focus on the people who make the Friendship Donations Network successful.

"I met amazing people who took time out of their days to bring donations to different food pantries, after-school programs and low-income apartment complexes," said Mason. "I photographed many people around Ithaca who I would normally have never met and yet who had incredible stories to tell."

Mason was so impacted by her work with the Friendship Donations Network that she now regularly volunteers with the organization.

"After the project ended I decided that I wanted to be a part of Friendship Donations Network and now volunteer weekly, helping transport donations."

The Park Award for Photo Activism was created earlier this year as a joint project between Ithaca College, the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County and the Park Foundation. The award was designed to create a link between Ithaca College students and the greater Ithaca community.

A special credit-bearing course, open to students who demonstrated photographic talent and a commitment to community activism, was created to support students as they worked on their photo documentaries. Each student involved in the project was paired with a local nonprofit and challenged to create a visual exploration of how their partner organization benefits the community.

The class was taught by Janice Levy, a professor in the department of media arts, sciences and studies in the Roy H. Park School of Communications. Students were mentored by National Geographic photographer Lynn Johnson, who also served as a judge for the award.