Dan Nelken
Born 1947 · Age 79
Visual artist, documentary photographer, educator and lecturer based in New York City. BFA Pratt Institute; long-term documentary projects (e.g., Till the Cows Come Home; HeadStrong). Exhibited internationally; work in major museum collections; longtime commercial and editorial photographer and adjunct professor.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Palestine to Holocaust-survivor parents
Born in Palestine; parents were Holocaust survivors; family later settled in Chicago.
Had lived in three countries by age 11
By age 11 Nelken had lived in three countries and developed early understanding of being 'the other'.
Junior-year teaching with Kamoinge Workshop founders
Worked alongside Louis Draper and Ray Francis (Kamoinge Workshop) teaching photography to Brooklyn high-school students as part of Anansi Awakening Workshops.
Earned BFA, Pratt Institute (Graphic Arts/Photography)
Completed required photography coursework and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn.
Won First Prize at Woodstock Music & Arts Festival
Early recognition: First Prize at Woodstock (Bethel, NY). Prize included $100 and a blue ribbon.
Founded Dan Nelken Studio Inc.
Established Dan Nelken Studio Inc. in New York (company span listed as 1976–2014). Served commercial, editorial, and client assignments while pursuing personal projects.
Completed long-term project 'Till the Cows Come Home' (project milestone)
Long-term personal project 'Till the Cows Come Home: County Fair Portraits' completed/published reference (site references 2003 as publication year in one place).
Solo exhibition: Till the Cows Come Home, Blue Sky Gallery
Solo show of 'Till the Cows Come Home: County Fair Portraits' at Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR (catalog).
Group exhibition: 7. Internationale Fotoage Mannheim/Ludwigshafen
Work included in international contemporary American photography exhibition (catalog).
Photolucida / Critical Mass: Shortlisted
Shortlisted in Photolucida/Critical Mass for 'Till the Cows Come Home: County Fair Portraits'.
Aperture Foundation: Portfolio Picks Honorable Mention
Aperture Foundation Portfolio Picks recognized 'Till the Cows Come Home' with an Honorable Mention.
Publication: Till the Cows Come Home (Kehrer Verlag)
Kehrer Verlag published 'Till the Cows Come Home: County Fair Portraits' (catalog/book reference).
Winner: Singapore International Photo Festival
Won an award at the Singapore International Photo Festival; 'Till the Cows Come Home' exhibited in Singapore (catalog).
Solo exhibition: Till the Cows Come Home, Singapore Int'l Photo Festival
Solo presentation in Singapore; included in festival catalog.
Solo exhibition: Robert Morat Galerie, Hamburg
Solo show of 'Till the Cows Come Home' at Robert Morat Galerie, Hamburg, Germany.
Self-published book: 'Smash 'em Crash 'em'
Released a self-published title, 'Smash ‘em Crash ‘em'.
Adjunct Professor: College of Staten Island (CUNY)
Served as Adjunct Professor at CUNY, College of Staten Island (listed 2012–2013).
Guest Lecturer: College of Staten Island (CSI)
Guest lecturer at CUNY CSI (listed 2013).
Founded: Dan Nelken Photography LLC
Reorganized commercial practice as Dan Nelken Photography LLC (listed 2014–present).
Adjunct Professor: Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC)
Served as adjunct professor at CUNY BMCC (listed 2014–2018).
Photo Review Best of Show 2018: Third Prize
Awarded Third Prize in the Photo Review Best of Show (juried exhibition) in Philadelphia, PA.
Winner: Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards (First Place, Series)
First Place Award (Series, Theme Category) for 'The Unyielding Gaze: HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda'.
Photo Review Best of Show 2019: Winner
Took Best of Show in Photo Review Best of Show 2019 (University of the Arts Gallery, Philadelphia).
Pollux Awards: First Prize, Professional People Category
Won First Prize Award (Professional Section, People Category) for series 'HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda'.
Tokyo International Foto Awards: Bronze Prize (People/Portraits)
Bronze prize for 'HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda'.
Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize: Exhibition, National Portrait Gallery (London)
Two photographs 'Olga' & 'Olga's Hammer' included in Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize exhibition at National Portrait Gallery, London.
Julia Margaret Cameron Award: First Place (Series)
Won First Place Award (Series) in the Julia Margaret Cameron Award: 'The Feminine Universe' (HeadStrong series referenced).
Meitar Awards For Excellence in Photography: Top 20 Finalist
Selected as Top 20 Finalist; exhibition in PHOTOIS:RAEL, Tel-Aviv.
Solo exhibition: HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda (Emerald Art Center)
Solo show of the 'HeadStrong' project at Emerald Art Center, Springfield, OR.
Solo exhibition & catalog: HeadStrong at Blue Sky Gallery
Blue Sky Gallery presented 'HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda' (catalog published, 116 pages).
Work acquired by museum and institutional collections (selected)
Work included in public and private collections such as The International Center of Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Portland Museum of Art, MAST Foundation, Haverford College, Vontobel Art Collection.
Shortlisted: CAP Prize; BUP Book Award; APhF Dummy Award
Shortlisted for Contemporary African Photography Prize (CAP); BUP Book Award; APhF Dummy Award for 'HeadStrong: The Women of Rural Uganda'.
Guest Lecturer: CUNY, College of Staten Island (CSI)
Listed as Guest Lecturer at CSI in 2024 (continuing educational engagements).
Profiled on influencer platform Favikon (copywriter profile dated Nov 15, 2024)
Favikon article (Nov 15, 2024) profiling a Dan Nelken as a B2B influencer / copywriter: notes a newsletter (~6,000 subscribers), LinkedIn (45.1K followers), X (974 followers). (Source indicates a separate/alternate professional profile under the same name.)
Newsletter subscriber milestone (as cited on Favikon)
Favikon reports a weekly newsletter with nearly 6,000 subscribers (Nov 15, 2024 snapshot).
Career summary: 30+ years experience (profile summarization)
Multiple profiles describe Nelken as having over 30 years in professional photography, combining commercial assignments with long-term documentary projects.
Key Achievement Ages
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