Newly-released book celebrates three decades of ground-breaking photography

Thirty years ago, the Alexia Foundation was established in the wake of tragedy with the goal of promoting photojournalism as a tool for social justice.

Since then, the foundation’s grant programs have supported the work of more than 150 documentary photographers across the world as they have embraced some of our most complex and diverse issues.

That work is celebrated in a new book, “The Alexia: 30 Years,” which was curated and designed by Bill Marr, former creative director at National Geographic.

The book includes essays by Alexia Foundation co-founder Aphrodite Tsairis and Peggy Peattie, the first professional Alexia Grant recipient. It features photographs by Ami Vitale, Marcus Bleasdale, Stephanie Sinclair, Louie Palu, Farzana Hossen, Katie Orlinsky, Abir Adbullah, Matt Eich and many others. The work is presented thematically through a deep view of the major themes explored by these visionary photographers.

Professor of practice Mike Davis, who has served as Newhouse’s Alexia Endowed Chair for the past seven years, says the book “brings forward 30 years of dedication to powerful visual storytelling that touched the world.”

Read Davis’ BuzzFeed interview>>

Dr. Peter and Aphrodite Tsairis established the Alexia Foundation in 1991 to honor their daughter, Alexia Tsairis. Alexia was a 20-year-old photography major at the Newhouse School when she was killed in the bombing of Pan Am 103 in December 1988 as she was returning home from a semester abroad in London. The foundation recently became part of the Newhouse School and was re-named The Alexia. Davis is director.

Copies of “The Alexia: 30 Years” can be purchased online from the Syracuse University Bookstore. All proceeds will support future grant recipients.