VisCom Knight Fellows duo featured in Spotlight Exhibition

The School of Visual Communication’s (VisCom) Knight Fellowship is an opportunity available to mid-career professionals that allows them to earn a master’s degree while teaching VisCom students. For the 2024-25 academic year, the program has two Knight Fellows: photojournalists Sankha Kar and Francine Orr. Their work will be displayed in the VisCom Focus Gallery January 22-February 14.

Orr was a staff photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times from 2000-24. In 2022, she received the coveted Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma and the National Headliner Award. In 2012, she was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature photography. Her career spans 30 years, focusing on trauma reporting, including natural disasters, poverty and mental illness, with a special focus on the medical field.

Kar’s photojournalism career began in Kolkata, India. After working with regional language newspapers and Reuters in India, he moved to Dubai to be the deputy photo editor at Gulf News. As a photojournalist, he has covered several major natural disasters and events in India. 

Kar says he didn’t expect to work in academia, but an experience in a workshop made him rethink the possibility. He realized he would need a degree to continue the teaching work.

“The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it,” he says. “That’s when I realized I needed to get a degree to do this, and knowing about this program, its quality, and a few people who had passed through it, I applied here.” 

On the other hand, Orr says she had always wanted to be a Knight Fellow. She wanted to be in the academic space to share her knowledge and experiences with others.

“It is an honor to be a Knight Fellow, and it has always been my dream to be one,” Orr says. “There was always something deep inside me that wanted to return to school to learn and share. So it felt very special to me and something I’m proud of.”

Stan Alost, the director of the program, praises Kar and Orr as “outstanding photojournalists” whose work has been recognized internationally.     

“We are honored to have them with us for the year,” Alost says. “They bring such renowned expertise, and our students can learn from them and develop lasting relationships throughout their careers. Very few programs across the country can offer their students such an opportunity. Beyond their talents, both are such wonderful and approachable people that it is a delight to know them.”

Part of the Knight Fellowship initiative is to bring industry professionals closer to VisCom students to provide industry insights and offer career guidance. For Kar and Orr, this has been a welcome experience, allowing them to interact with the up-and-coming creatives in the visual communication industry.

“I am always trying to learn because it allows me to embrace new perspectives and things,” Kar says. “That means it’s not just me sharing what I know and pouring into the students but hearing what they have to say and what they bring to the table as a new generation of creatives. I’ve interacted with many students about the rise of AI and how it will impact our industry, and I’ve had the opportunity to learn to apply things from the likes of Adonis [Durado] and [VisCom professor] Gary [Kirksey].”

Orr agrees, adding that sharing the experience with Kar has been a pleasure because they both look out for each other.

“I feel like we’re a great team, Kar and I.” she says. “We support each other, and I’m so glad he’s my fellow. It’s been many decades since I’ve been in school, but I’m relishing the opportunity every day. The support from the faculty means this place is a safe space to learn, grow, thrive, and share. It’s been a beautiful opportunity to engage the students, and since being here, my appreciation for international students has grown. With Kar as my fellow and the international students around us, I’ve been exposed to more diverse backgrounds, making me a better student.”

Although the pair have had their work displayed in various capacities during their time in the field, this will be its first time in the context of a university campus.

“This exhibition will show my perspectives, how I see the world, and how I absorb and create art using photography,” Kar explains. 

Orr’s collection for the exhibit shows her work during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she documented the healthcare workers who fought to save lives and prevent casualties. She did this in about 14 hospitals in the United States. 

“This was something I decided because, as a photojournalist, my duty is to the public,” she says. “It was a work of public service and my way of giving back to my fellow photographers and the world throughout this difficult time. My offering for this exhibit is to remember and honor the patients, families, the healthcare professionals, and the time that we all had a shared experience.”

Kar speaks on how different the preparation for this exhibition has been, especially being a Knight Fellow, and how the faculty has helped navigate that.

“This is completely new because as a Knight fellow in this school and country, I get to interact with a new and younger audience who do not know me and are not familiar with my work,” he says. “That means I can present my work and use it to interact with new people and gain new perspectives. For the younger audience, it’s an opportunity to learn and understand the evolution of photography over the years.” 

Exhibit details

The two Knight Fellows will be featured in a Knight Fellows Exhibit in the VisCom Focus Gallery (Schoonover Center, 1st Floor) from Jan. 22-Feb 14.