Sarah Blesener

Sarah Blesener (they/she) is an Emmy-nominated visual journalist based in New York City. They are a graduate of the Visual Journalism and Documentary Practice program at the International Center of Photography in New York.

Their long-form project, Beckon Us From Home (2017-2023), which explored collective identity and ideology amongst youth in the United States and Russia, received the Alexia Foundation grant and the Catchlight fellowship in 2017. It was also supported by the Eugene Smith Fellowship in 2018. In 2019, Beckon Us From Home received a first place prize in the Long-Term Project category of World Press Photo.

As a visual journalist, they intentionally bring a trauma informed approach to their visual practice. They have taken trauma reporting courses through the Poynter Center, ACOS Alliance, and the DART Center / International Committee of the Red Cross. They are committed to slow journalism.

Their personal work looks for ruptures and disruptions in collective memory, with a focus on psychoanalysis, abjection, and the limitations of the body. Alongside photographs, they use archival images, mixed media, poetry, painting and sculpture.

In 2023, they co-founded , an educational community focused on workshops and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching. They are also an educator at the International Center of Photography, centering their educational practice on poetics, process and ethics.