Bio
Joshua Rashaad McFadden, visual artist and Assistant Professor of Photography at Rochester Institute of Technology, uses portraiture and archival imagery to explore themes and concepts related to identity, masculinity, history, race, and sexuality. His practice provides a frame of reference that articulates the many personalities of Black men. McFadden, Rochester, N.Y. native, holds a BA in Fine Art from Elizabeth City State University and an MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design.
McFadden received the first place International Photography Award (IPA) for "After Selma," his photographic response to numerous police brutality incidents in 2015. He also won the first place IPA award in 2016 for "Come to Selfhood," his series examining African American manhood. In 2017, McFadden was recognized as one of Time Magazine's "American Voices" and received the Duke University Archive of Documentary Arts Collection Award for Documentarians of Color. McFadden's "I Am A Man" photographic series with the Smithsonian Magazine won him the 2018 Communication Arts Award of Excellence.
His work has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Published in conjunction with his first solo museum exhibition, McFadden's new book “Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I’ll Run On” demonstrates his mastery of a wide range of photographic genres—social documentary, reportage, portraiture, and fine art—and his use of the medium to confront racism and anti-Black violence. This book offers an overview of and insight into a poignant and deeply personal body of work, asserting McFadden’s key role in shaping the art and visual culture of the United States.
