Special Presentation
SPEAKER SERIES
Ami Vitale Wild Hope
As a courtesy to the artists and for the uninterrupted enjoyment of your fellow patrons, please turn off all electronic devices. No portion of this performance may be photographed, recorded, filmed, taped, broadcast or mechanically reproduced without the written consent of the Artist and/ or the Presenter. Mayo Performing Arts Center is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Program subject to change.
April 24, 2024
Photo © Bryan Liscinsky
Ami Vitale Photographer
Nikon Ambassador and National Geographic photographer, writer and filmmaker Ami Vitale has been a pioneer in creating unique conservation stories that amplify the work of communities on the front lines of grassroots conservation. She has traveled to more than 100 countries, documenting the heartbreaking realities of war to witnessing the inspiring power of individuals making a difference. Throughout the years, Ami has lived in mud huts and war zones, contracted malaria, and donned a panda suit— keeping true to her belief in the importance of “living the story.” Her award-winning work illuminates the unsung heroes and communities working to protect wildlife and finding harmony in our natural world. Her photographs have been commissioned by nearly every international publication and exhibited around the world in museums and galleries.
Ami has been named one of the most influential photographers and storytellers of her generation and is Conservation International’s 2022 Innovators Fellow. In 2022, she was awarded with prestigious prizes from both the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service and the Lucie Humanitarian Award. Instyle Magazine named Ami one of fifty Badass Women, a series celebrating women who show up, speak up and get things done. She has been named Magazine photographer of the year in the International Photographer of the Year prize, received the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting and named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association. She is a sixtime recipient of World Press Photos, including 1st Prize for her 2018 National Geographic magazine story about a community in Kenya protecting elephants. She is author of the bestselling book, Panda Love, on the secret lives of pandas.
Her films have won awards at dozens of prestigious film festivals and her most recent work, Shaba, is an Official Selection at the prestigious Wildscreen festival. Through online streaming, Ami raised over $200k for the Reteti elephant sanctuary whose story she featured in Shaba. Ami lectures for the National Geographic Changemaker Speaker Series and will be featured on National Geographic Channel Explorer TV series in 2023.
Ami is the founder and Executive Director of the women-led non-profit Vital Impacts. In the first six months, it raised 1.5 million dollars which has been distributed to help support conservation efforts around the world. She is mentoring and teaching photography to 40 indigenous Kenyan conservationists and using art to engage youth to become activists and influence their peers in the world.
She is a founding member of Ripple Effect Images, an organization of renowned female scientists, writers, photographers and filmmakers working together to create powerful and persuasive stories that shed light on the hardships women in developing countries face and the programs that can help them. For the past four years, Ami was the President of the Photographers Advisory Board for National Geographic photographers and currently sits on their Advisory board. Ami is on the Photojournalism Advisory Council for the Alexia Foundation.
MPAC’s Sustainability Series Ami
Wild Hope
Vitale:
A Message From Our Sponsor
“BASF is proud to partner with our New Jersey neighbors at MPAC to present programming that fosters greater awareness of the incredible world that surrounds us. At BASF, our purpose, We create chemistry for a sustainable future, means we are focused on developing innovative technologies to help power, feed, move, house and improve the lives of the growing world community. In both our operations and products, we seek the best possible balance among economic, environmental and social factors; sustainable solutions for today and for the future. Just as importantly, we aim to create the human chemistry -- connections between people, organizations and institutions -- that fosters a collaborative and cooperative approach to solving the world’s sustainability challenges. On Earth Day, and every day, BASF is proud to play a key role in creating chemistry to meet the needs of a thriving tomorrow.”
Photo © Ami Vitale
Mayo Performing Arts Center gratefully acknowledges for its support of
Wednesday • April 24, 2024
Through BASF Corporation’s generous support, MPAC is able to present this important program to school groups on Wednesday, April 24 at 10:30 am and the general public on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 pm.
Ami Vitale Wild Hope Photo © Ami Vitale