Aperture Appoints Jane’a Johnson as Editor

New York, October 31, 2024—Aperture is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane’a Johnson as Editor, who will join the editorial team beginning on November 14, 2024.

As Editor, Johnson will play a central role in Aperture’s book publishing program, contribute to the award-winning quarterly magazine and online platforms, and help shape select educational and public programming.

Jane’a Johnson, PhD, is a curator, writer, and lecturer. Most recently, she was Artistic Director of Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam. Her work and writing have focused on archives, photography, and visual culture in the African Diaspora. She is formerly Assistant Professor of Theory of Art and Design and History, Philosophy and Social Sciences at the Rhode Island School of Design. Johnson received her PhD in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University, where she directed the Photographic Archives Research Group. She has given talks for the Barbican Centre, PhotoVogue, and Photographers’ Gallery, and is a contributor to the spring 2025 issue of Aperture magazine.

“Jane’a Johnson is a rigorous thinker on photography and image culture,” notes Michael Famighetti, Aperture’s Editor in Chief. “We are excited for all that she will contribute to our program and its continued impact on the field.”

Johnson will join a department guided by Famighetti, who sets the strategic direction of the publishing program, with essential leadership across Aperture’s publications, including books, the magazine, and digital content from Senior Editor Brendan Embser, Copy Chief Susan Ciccotti, and the editorial team.

“Aperture is a legendary organization in the field of photography, renowned for its rich history of embracing the diversity and expansiveness of the medium,” states Johnson. “I am thrilled to join Aperture during this exciting time, and I look forward to helping to continue its legacy of exceptional publications that foster meaningful conversations around contemporary issues in photography and art.”

Johnson joins Aperture at a landmark moment in the history of the seventy-two-year-old nonprofit publisher. This summer, Aperture released a new format and refreshed design of its acclaimed magazine, executed by London-based studio A2/SW/HK, and in 2025, the organization will move to a new, permanent home at 380 Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side, which will offer a bookstore and project space, in addition to areas for offices and production.

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About Aperture
Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide. From its base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists through its acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant society.

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Press Contact
Lauren Van Natten, + 1 212.946.7151, publicity@aperture.org