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The Edward Ruiz Mentorship at the Market Photo Workshop

Samantha Simons
Orania (2009)

Orania explores the public and the private, the normative and the 'not so ordinary'. Orania seeks to explore a people, their connection to place and personal exploration of self. - Bronwyn Law-Viljoen, On the Nightshift, Art South Africa, Volume 5, Issue 3 (2007)

Simons was the fifth recipient of the Edward Ruiz Mentorship in 2006. Funded by AngloGold Ashanti, the Mentorship allowed Simons to develop the body of work Orania with David Goldblatt as guide and Mentor.

Edward Ruiz

The Edward Ruiz Mentorship at the Market Photo Workshop, is a mentorship programme established to commemorate the life of renowned photojournalist Edward Ruiz.

It awards the recipient with the financial and infrastructural support needed to develop a substantial body of photographic work over the course of a year, culminating in a solo exhibition hosted at The Photo Workshop Gallery. The recipient also has the opportunity to work closely with a suitable mentor, who provides guidance and direction on the intended project.

The Edward Ruiz Mentorship is generously funded by AngloGold Ashanti.

For information about the applications process please click here

More About the Mentorship

The mentorship is designed to launch the career of a promising photographer. The recipient, in consultation with the Market Photo Workshop, has to identify a mentor who will help guide and develop the recipient's proposed body of work. The mentor is usually a professional practicing photographer; past mentors have included Jean Brundrit, Jo Ractliffe, and Michelle Loukidis.

The work and research has to be completed within the borders of South Africa, unless an alternative arrangement is made beforehand with the Market Photo Workshop.

The body of work will officially be launched at The Photo Workshop Gallery, in the form of an exhibition. The recipient will co-curate the exhibition with his/her chosen mentor(s), and the Projects Coordinator of the Market Photo Workshop.

The grant allows the recipient to produce and exhibit a body of work and will also assist in covering costs related to research, travel, and other supplies.

About Edward Ruiz

New York 27 July 1966 – Cape Town 24 December 2003

Edward Ruiz, a native New Yorker and free-lance photojournalist fell in love with South Africa, its people and stories when he moved here in 1999. Edward freelanced for local and foreign publications including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Time, Newsweek, The Guardian, Leadership Magazine, The Independent and Geographical Magazine.

He was an energetic photographer who's great investigative skills and commitment manifested in the celebrated and respected images he produced. Edward’s warmth and empathy turned many of his subjects into friends