Food has a universal ability to connect people. It is an observation Anh Nguyen ’18 first noted when she left her home in Vietnam to attend boarding school at Blair Academy, and it is a highlight of her work as a photographer living in New York City. “I’m very interested in traditions and rituals around food,” Anh shared. “Having been away from home for ten years now, food is an easy way to remember your culture and feel connected to it.”

After graduating Blair and continuing her education in photojournalism at Boston University, Anh has been making waves in New York as a documentary photographer. Most recently, she was accepted to the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program at the International Center of Photography (ICP). She spent a year studying under the expert guidance offered at ICP and working on her documentary project—meeting and photographing Vietnamese people in New York that grew into a collection based upon food, culture and identity.

“Food was always what we connected over,” Anh shared of the project. “The pride in the food they make and eat from their culture was evident in my work and became a real focal point. It helped me to unpack the rituals around food I grew up with and could only see from having been away for so long.” 

After graduating from the program, Anh’s photos went on display at ICP alongside work from 70 of her classmates on a variety of topics. Director of School Photography and Anh’s former teacher Tyson Trish took a trip this summer to visit Anh and see her work featured in the exhibit.

“I am incredibly proud to see Anh’s photography showcased at the International Center of Photography. Her exploration of her culture and identity, coupled with her strong compositions, truly makes her work stand out and have a lasting impact,” Mr. Trish said. “I eagerly look forward to witnessing her future achievements and contributions to the art world.”

Anh credits Blair Academy and Mr. Trish with helping further her career in photography with a formal education in the art. They both arrived on campus the same year, and she remembers quickly trying to learn all of the photography options available to her during her time on the hilltop.

“I am so grateful to have started in the dark room at Blair,” Anh explains. “It is crucial to how I think about photography now and it’s rare to have access to a facility like that. Mr. Trish was a really great mentor for me, and I was able to make the most of what I wanted to do through the education I received and the way that I was taught.”

Anh’s work will continue to be featured at ICP until September 2, as part of the Shared Spaces exhibition for recent graduates, alongside photography students from more than 25 countries. Those unable to visit the exhibit in Manhattan will still have an opportunity to enjoy Anh’s photography when she joins two other emerging artists for an exhibition in Blair’s Romano Gallery February 8 to March 7, 2025. She will join us on campus for a reception Thursday, February 13, at 7 p.m., and all are welcome to attend.