Jessie Parks
Atlanta, GA, USA
b. 1985, USA. Jessie is an Atlanta native
She graduated from Georgia College & State University in 2008. In 2011, she attended The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Paros, Greece. In 2016 she returned to The Aegean Center for a brief residency.
Jessie began shooting in 2006 during college—the same year her mother’s brain tumor recurred, causing her extreme physical handicaps and hinderances in communication and mental awareness. Unprompted, she began documenting her parents' struggle that continued a further seven years. Quickly she understood the camera’s power to explain people, places, stories, and struggles—and that it can bring justice or give a voice to the unheard.
That is why she has continued shooting since 2006—and why today she has a particular interest in documenting the displaced and the post-war stories of those who are kind enough to let her into their lives.
Jessie has lived in Iraqi Kurdistan documenting the work of a charity aiding the displaced in the region. She hopes to return in the 2018 to pursue personal work documenting the lives of women affected by Iraq’s long history of conflict.
- Arts
- Breaking news
- Crisis
- Environment
- Interview
- Portrait
- Reporting