New York City -- On Wednesday, May 19, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund hosted a photography reception for Aperture photographers working to document the Green Carts project. The event was widely attended by city officials and non-profit partners of the Fund. Attendees included Deputy Mayor Gibbs, DOHMH Commissioner Farley, Juan Garcia de Oteyza, Aperture Executive Director, as well as other partners, and showcased the work of five emerging photographers who have spent the last year photographing Green Cart vendors. At the event, the five photographers, selected by the Aperture Foundation, talked about their disparate perspectives documenting the historic Green Carts program.

The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund seeded the NYC Green Carts initiative with a grant in the Spring of 2008 to bring fresh produce to underserved New York City neighborhoods. A public/private partnership with The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City and the New York City Department of Health, this innovative public health and economic development initiative has set a new national standard for health promotion and economic opportunity by creating new jobs, offering microfinancing opportunities and providing thousands of households with better access to fresh fruits and vegetables and healthier food choices.

Additionally, The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund is also supporting Aperture in a photography project that has commissioned five emerging photographers: LaToya Ruby Frazier, Thomas Holton, Gabriele Stabile, Will Steacy, and ShenWei to chronicle the NYC Green Cart program. Through this partnership, Aperture reaffirms its founding commitment to explore social issues through the medium of photography and to provide a platform for emerging artists. Aperture will publish eight full-page public service announcements in Aperture magazine, and curate an exhibition to be installed at a local exhibition venue in September 2011 as the culmination of the two-year initiative. The exhibition will showcase the pieces featured in Aperture magazine, along with additional images and commentaries by the photographers and project partners.