Thomas Werner

Thomas is the author of the book The Fashion Image for Bloomsbury Publishing, London, with a second book on fine art photography currently being written for Routledge Publishing. He is a co-founder of ascend(ed) Design, a boutique centric educational organization focused on helping aspiring creatives achieve their goals. An Editor at Large for IRKmagazine, a Paris based fashion and culture magazine and web site, founder of Thomas Werner Projects Podcast, and past Photography Program Director at Parsons School of Design in New York, Thomas currently lectures internationally on the topics of photography, fashion, innovation, education, and contemporary professional practices, with a series of recent presentations and workshops in 6 cities across China. He is the former owner of Thomas Werner Gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea Art District, and a former National Board member and New York Chapter President for the American Society of Media Photographers. Werner also lead a team developing a media and literacy web site and resource center in five languages, Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic and English for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations/UNESCO. He has worked with the United States Department of State on cultural projects in Russia, and been a photography consultant for COACH and Rodale Publishing, among others. Thomas was a recurrent instructor at the United Nations Education First Summer School, and is now presenting workshops on effective message development and visual communication on an international basis.

Over the last 15 years his research has been Russia centric spending an average of 20 days a year there partnering with 32 cultural, educational, and governmental organizations to develop projects in 29 cities. The focus has been the introduction of contemporary education methodologies, and the development of creative cultures within the country. Russian partners have included; The State Hermitage Museum, the National Center of Contemporary Art, Perm Regional Government, The Moscow Biennale for Young Art, National Centre of Photography for the Russian Federation, The Central State Archive of Film, Photographic and Phonographic Documents, The Moscow Biennale, The Pro Arte Foundation, and others. He has curated exhibitions in the United States and abroad, including seven co-curated exhibitions at the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His private collection of Russian photographs and artifacts, have been exhibited internationally.