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John Partipilo

John Partipilo

Throughout my career as an artist and photojournalist my work has always been about people. The pandemic was no different.

2020 was a devastating year for most people in the country but especially for people in Nashville. Metro neighborhoods had just been rocked by a destructive tornado when the pandemic started to spread in Tennessee. The tornado and pandemic were a double disaster on the city. Besides people losing their homes, businesses and schools were closed. Many lost their jobs and could not find work. Others could not afford food. What was once normal life changed into something abnormal. Depression and fear set in as the virus was killing thousands of people.

Seeing people hurting and fearful drove me to document this surreal year. The dangers added challenges to my creative process. I had to take maximum precautions to protect myself from the virus, while photographing. Sometimes I was with a family. Other times I was in the streets with large groups of people. The health risks made it extremely difficult to photograph while wearing a mask and social distancing. 

My passion to create and tell compelling stories always drove me to innovate, adapt, and helped me overcome these health risks. I have always believed that fortune favors the bold when it comes to storytelling. 

John Partipilo has won numerous national awards including a Best of Photojournalism award for an essay of Gangs in Tennessee and a first runner up Pulitzer nomination for the 2010 Nashville Flood. Partipilo has photographed many essays that have documented people’s lives including the War in Iraq, the Nashville Flood in 2010, Civil Rights protests, the bombing on Second Avenue and recently the pandemic. Partipilo is also the author of two photographic books CUBA, MY WORLD ENDS HERE and RANCHO BEYONDO. 

Vaccination. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Vaccination. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Vaccination Celebration. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Vaccination Celebration. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Unmasked. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Unmasked. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Psychiatric Help. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Psychiatric Help. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Pandemic Motherhood. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Pandemic Motherhood. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Protests in Nashville. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Protests in Nashville. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Faces of Change. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Faces of Change. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Hope. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Hope. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Summer 2020. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Summer 2020. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Church Mothers. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Church Mothers. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Absent Friends. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Absent Friends. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Angels of Mercy. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Angels of Mercy. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Suffocate. John Partipilo. Metal print.
Suffocate. John Partipilo. Metal print.