With enormous pleasure, we present the 50th Annual Light Work Grants in Photography! The 2025 recipients are Sarah Knobel (St. Lawrence), Joe Librandi-Cowan (Onondaga County), and Lida Suchy (Onondaga County). The two runners-up are Marna Bell (Onondaga County) and Adrian Francis (Onondaga County).

This year’s judge was Marina Chao (a curator at CPW in Kingston, NY), who writes: “From an unexpected approach to plastic waste to portraits of Ukrainian civic leaders to an exploration of home, family, and memory, this year’s grantees address subjects that are intimate and personal, urgent and political, in innovative, collaborative, and deeply felt ways.”

The Light Work Grants are part of our ongoing effort to support and encourage Central New York artists working in photography and related mediums within a fifty-mile radius of Syracuse. Established in 1975, the Light Work Grants are among the oldest photography fellowships in the country.

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2025 Light Work Grants Recipients

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Sarah Knobel

(St. Lawrence County)

Sarah Knobel is an artist captivated by the concept of commodities and their existence beyond mere utility. Through her evocative imagery, she crafts liminal spaces, inviting viewers to contemplate the enigmatic nature of everyday objects and our waste. Her work weaves together optimism and hostility, beauty and repulsion, exploring the collision between the natural world and opposing forces. Her photographs and videos have been shown both nationally and internationally. Knobel resides in Upstate New York, near the Canadian border, and draws inspiration from the serene surroundings. She holds an MFA from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.

sarahknobel.com

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Joe Librandi-Cowan

(Onondaga County)

Joe Librandi-Cowan received his BFA in Art Photography from Syracuse University. His work has been featured by the BBC, Vogue Italia, LensCulture, and the Prison Photography project. This specific work subtly explores and attempts to make peace with notions of home—both internal and external—in a multitude of ways. It centers around my relationship with his mother and their home, serving as a space for working through various forms of familial trauma and healing, leaning into the different forms of love, acts of care, and memory.

joelibrandicowan.com

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Lida Suchy

(Onondaga County)

Suchy is a second-generation American, and often draws on that background as a source of inspiration in her creative work. She earned her MFA from Yale University just as the Soviet Union was collapsing and Ukraine was gaining its independence—a moment that would go on to shape the direction of her work. Suchy first traveled to Ukraine shortly after that historic shift, and over the past thirty years she has returned on and off to photograph—with support along the way from the Fulbright Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, NYFA, ArtsLink, and Light Work, among others.

lidasuchy.com

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We are thrilled to support these inspiring artists in our community. Together they show a wide range of approaches to the medium and highlight the exceptional talent here in Central New York.