Michael Forster Rothbart

Michael Forster Rothbart is an American photojournalist. He is best known for his work documenting the human impact of nuclear disasters.

Michael Forster Rothbart
Nationality United States
Alma materSwarthmore College
OccupationPhotojournalist
Notable work
 Would You Stay?
Children2
Websiteafterchernobyl.com

Education and career

At 17, Michael Forster Rothbart joined and photographed the Icewalk North Pole expedition.[1]

Forster Rothbart graduated from Swarthmore College in 1994 and decided to become a documentary photographer in 1996, when traveling in India. He saw a World Bank-financed dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat and found that local activist's views and community impact was undocumented.[2]

He has worked as a staff photographer for the University of Wisconsin and an Associated Press photographer in Central Asia.[1][3] Other projects include documenting the effects of hydrofracking and USAID's programs in Central Asia.[4][5]

He teaches photography at SUNY Oneonta.[6] He spent 2016-2017 in Donetsk, Ukraine, working for OSCE.

Work in nuclear-affected communities

After receiving a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship, in 2007 Forster Rothbart interviewed and photographed residents in and around Chernobyl.[7][8] For two years, he lived in Sukachi, Ukraine, a small farming village just outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and also spent time in Slavutych, Ukraine, the city built after the accident to house evacuated Chernobyl plant personnel.[1][8]

His photos were initially toured to American communities facing their own nuclear contamination as part of an exhibit, After Chernobyl . Forster Rothbart explained that "I created this exhibit because I want the world to know what I know: the people of Chernobyl are not victims, mutants and orphans. They are simply people living their lives, with their own joys and sorrows, hopes and fears. Like you. Like me."[8] During each exhibit, Forster Rothbart lead photography workshops and public forums, engaging the communities in dialogue about their own local issues.[1][8]

In 2012, Forster Rothbart launched a parallel project in Fukushima, Japan. He has started photographing nuclear plant workers, refugees and returning residents over a period of years.[9] [10]

A book of photos, interviews and essays was published October 21, 2013, by TED Books.[10][11] Entitled “Would You Stay?”, it features personal narrative, photos, interviews, maps and audio recordings in an attempt to understand why people refuse to leave Chernobyl and Fukushima despite the risks.[12][9][10][11] He later gave a TED talk about this work.[13]

The National Press Photographers Association’s Best Of Photojournalism 2014 competition awarded “Would You Stay?” first place in the Multimedia Tablet/Mobile category, third place for Best Use of Multimedia and an honorable mention in the Contemporary Issues category.[12][14]

Personal life

Forster Rothbart is the father of two and lives in upstate New York with his wife .[15][16][17] He identifies as a Quaker, which he says complements work in photography, and attends Quaker meetings.[2][16] He enjoys hiking and likes to take his family square-dancing.[15] His younger brother is author Davy Rothbart.[15]

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References
  1. "AFTER CHERNOBYL, AFTER FUKUSHIMA". Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  2. Michael Forster Rothbart (July 2011). "Chernobyl Witness". Swarthmore Bulletin. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  3. "'After Chernobyl' by Michael Forster Rothbart". Swarthmore Bulletin. April 9, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  4. David Pacchioli (October 2010). "Rock and an Old Place". Swarthmore Bulletin. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  5. Harriett Destler (February 2001). "Faces of Central Asia" (PDF). USAID Frontlines. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  6. "SUNY Oneonta photoblog". SUNY Oneonta. February 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  7. "After Chernobyl, the images of photojournalist Michael Forster Rothbart". CEERES. April 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  8. Trip Gabriel (April 2, 2014). "Michael Forster Rothbart Photo Exhibit". Friends of Chernobyl Centers US. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  9. "After nuclear disaster, some opt to stay". CNN. November 9, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  10. "Those who stayed in Chernobyl and Fukushima: An excerpt from the new TED Book brings you inside Control Room 4". TED. October 31, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  11. Michelle Quint (October 31, 2013). "A story of people, not of radiation: A conversation about those still living near Chernobyl and Fukushima". TEDBlog. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  12. "Michael Forster Rothbart Wins Photojournalism Awards". SUNY Oneota Daily Bulletin. SUNY Oneota. April 2, 2014. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  13. Julianne McCall (April 5, 2014). "Boxing outside the think: Michael Forster Rothbart at TEDxFulbright". TED. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  14. Donald R. Winslow (March 24, 2014). "NEW YORK TIMES WINS NPPA'S BEST USE OF MULTIMEDIA". NPAA. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  15. "Summit Fever". The Sun Magazine. SUNY Oneota. January 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  16. Michael Forster Rothbart (April 2, 2014). "Seekers and Shooters: A Quaker Photojournalist Reflects on Witnessing". Friends Journal. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  17. Adriana Widdoes (July 2, 2012). ""Someday" by Michael Forster Rothbar". Smith. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
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