Join the MoMA Photo Club

Challenge 7: Joy

It’s the little things in life! Show us a moment of joy for this summer’s #MoMAPhotoClub.

How does joy manifest itself in your daily life and the world around you? What makes you smile, laugh, or dance? Share your unique perspective through photography, whether it’s capturing moments of play, a heartfelt embrace, vibrant colors, or exuberant expressions on people's faces. Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary and capture the simple pleasures that make life brighter.

We can’t wait to see what you make. Share your photos with us using #MoMAPhotoClub. Selected photos will be featured on our social channels, the MoMA website, and on digital screens in select New York City subways.

Challenge 5: Inspiration of Place

Henri Matisse’s studio was his world—a space filled with artworks, favorite objects like textiles and pottery, and flowers from his garden that provided inspiration and prompted reflection. As curator Ann Temkin put it, “Matisse painted very few self-portraits, but he made many paintings of his studios, often at points of transition or particularly challenging moments in his work. Matisse’s paintings of his own works of art are essentially his self-portraits.”

This edition of #MoMAPhotoClub is inspired by the exhibition Matisse: The Red Studio, currently on view at MoMA.

What is a place or space that sparks your creativity? Is it somewhere you live, work, or pass every day on a walk? How have you made this space your own? Take a photo of your world. Find a place or space that’s important to you and photograph it as you see it, or use it as the backdrop to a still life filled with the things that inspire you.

We can’t wait to see what you make. Share your photos with us using #MoMAPhotoClub. Select photos will be featured on our social channels, the MoMA website, and on digital screens in select New York City subways.

Learn more about the themes in this exhibition by watching Henri Matisse’s The Red Studio: The Journey of a Painting, and read an excerpt from the exhibition catalogue by curators Ann Temkin and Dorthe Aagesen.

Challenge 4: Our Selves

Women’s advocate and activist Helen Kornblum said that if there’s any theme in the collection she donated to MoMA, “it’s people: meeting people, knowing people, learning about people.” How can a photograph connect us? “Each one actually has its own story for me. Where I found them, who led me to them. I’ve just attached myself in different ways to each one.”

This edition of #MoMAPhotoClub is inspired by the exhibition Our Selves: Photographs by Women Artists from Helen Kornblum, currently on view at MoMA.

Focus on portraiture to tell a story. What makes this photograph special? Who or what does it depict? How did you connect to your subject? How did you feel when you took it? What forms can portraiture take beyond images of people?

We can’t wait to see what you make. Share your photos with us using #MoMAPhotoClub. Select photos will be featured on our social channels, the MoMA website, and on digital screens in select New York City subways.

Learn more about the themes in this exhibition by watching our latest Forum on Contemporary Photography: What Is a Feminist Picture? and reading the introduction to the exhibition catalogue by exhibition curator Roxana Marcoci.

Challenge 2: Shadows

Light is the basis of all photography, but darkness is often overlooked. For our second #MoMAPhotoClub challenge, we want you to play with shadow. Shadows can add contrast and depth to a photograph, heightening the drama and feeling. Try capturing a shadow with crisp edges, then a blurry one. How does the emotion change in your composition? 

On the heels of our first #MoMAPhotoClub challenge, we’re excited to announce Brazilian ballerina and activist Ingrid Silva as our next host. A member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and founder of @blacksinballet and @empowher_ny, Ingrid creates and captures evocative shadows across the stage through her choreography.