IRIS PHOTOCOLLECTIVE - Key Persons

Clarence Williams, a native of Philadelphia, has spent more than two decades pursuing the truth with his camera. Widely known for his unyielding determination and sacrifice to his art, Clarence has been recognized as one to the best in the industry. In 1997 alone, Clarence won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, the Robert F. Kennedy Photojournalism Award, and was recognized by his peers as the National Association of Black Journalists, Journalist of the Year. In 2003 Clarence resigned from the Los Angeles Times to stay true to his vision and pursue his personal work. He was the Distinguished Visiting Lecturer teaching photojournalism and later became a member the University of Southern Mississippi, and also the 2006 Open Society Institute's Katrina Fellow.

Pablo Martínez Monsiváis, born in the United States. He grew up in Chicago's Mexican-American community of Little Villages, where he was immersed in its particular immigrant experience. After graduating with a degree in photography from Columbia College, he began his career as a summer intern for his hometown newspaper, the Chicago Sun-Times. At the end of the 13-week internship, at the young age of 24, the paper hired him as a staff photojournalist. There he worked on many local stories and covered everything from parades to politics, from food to fashion, to fires, and sports. Since the fall of 1998, Pablo has been a staff photojournalist for the Associated Press' Washington Bureau, where he primarily covers the office of the President and various administrations. In 1999 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for team coverage of the impeachment during the Clinton Administration. Pablo has received awards for World Press Photo, The White House News Photographers, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Currently is the Interim Director of Photos for Associated Press' Washington Bureau.