Nina Berman

Nina Berman (born 1960) is an American documentary photographer, filmmaker, author and educator. Her wide-ranging work looks at American politics, militarism, environmental contamination and post violence trauma. Berman is the author of three monographs: Purple Hearts – Back From Iraq; Homeland; and An autobiography of Miss Wish.

Her photographs and videos have been exhibited in the Brooklyn Museum, Dublin Contemporary 2011 and the 2010 Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial. She is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts grant, several photojournalism awards, including two World Press Photo awards and a Hasselblad award.

Early life and education Berman was born in New York City. She received an A.B. from the University of Chicago and a M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Work She is a member of the NOOR photo agency and an associate professor at Columbia University. She is a former teacher at the International Center of Photography in New York City.

In 2005, Berman received the first Open Society Institute documentary distribution grant and traveled to high schools around the USA with Army veteran Robert Acosta presenting and exhibiting the Purple Hearts project. Her work with high school students continued in 2010 in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art as an artist in residence with the museum's Youth Insights program. In 2011, Berman developed a high school art curriculum with the Whitney Museum of American Art based on her images of wounded American veterans from the Iraq War and her Homeland series. In 2009, Berman became a member of the NOOR photo agency based in Amsterdam. In 2012, she became an associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Publications

Monographs Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq. London: Trolley, 2004. Homeland. London: Trolley, 2008. An autobiography of Miss Wish. Heidelberg, Germany: Kehrer, 2017. 1997: Pictures of the Year Award 1998: Pictures of the Year Award 1999: Pictures of the Year Award 2004: Third Prize (with two others) (along with four others), Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards. 2005: Open Society Institute Documentary Grant 2006: New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship 2007: Pictures of the Year Award 2007: World Press Photo award (for her portrait "Marine Wedding" of Tyler Ziegel, a wounded Marine, and his bride) 2009: Hasselblad Masters Award 2016: The Aftermath Project Grant Award 2017: Susan E. Tifft fellow, Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University