Jon Lowenstein

Postcards from Ferguson

2015

Jon Lowenstein’s Postcards from Ferguson are a limited edition set of photographs (premiered at TED 2015) which provide a way to directly connect one another to our personal stories about the complex, often painful issue of race. Addressing racial inequality, Jon asks that we write down messages of hope for racial justice and send them to our families, friends, colleagues, or representatives.

“For me, the Postcards from Ferguson project is a way to continue the ongoing conversation about race and inequality in the United States with a wider audience. I love the idea of postcards because it’s something that most people can relate to in one way or another. Most people, at one point in their lives, have sent a postcard to someone they love or care for with a simple and direct message. Usually, it’s about a trip or a destination, but with Postcards from Ferguson I’m playing on this idea and forcing people to confront our own difficult and ongoing collective history. Ferguson was an important moment and it’s vital that we find ways to create avenues for dialogue and change.

In particular, with TED my goal was to have influential people who perhaps don’t normally interact with these types of issues to engage physically, psychologically and emotionally with them and then share with friends and loved ones. I love the idea of creating a physical analog vehicle for people to share their thoughts with others.”