Donna Ferrato, a self-taught photographer, has been photographing professionally for more than seventeen years. For her documentation of domestic violence, she has received numerous awards, including the W. Eugene Smith Grant, the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Humanistic Photography and the Kodak Crystal Eagle for Courage in Journalism.
Her domestic violence documentation has appeared in publications including Life, Time, People Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times Magazine, MS. and in television reports on domestic violence, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS’ America Tonight, Good Morning America, Dateline, Eye on America, NBC Now, The Crusaders, Court TV and Rolanda.
In 1991, Aperture published Ferrato’s book on domestic violence “Living With the Enemy”. Shortly afterwards, a New York battered women’s shelter approached her to collect the photographs as an exhibition for a benefit event. Building on the success of this, Ferrato established the Domestic Abuse Awareness, Inc. to raise funds and to educate the public about domestic violence. The exhibitions have traveled to over 55 venues, nationally and internationally. They have enabled community groups to raise over $500,000 for battered women’s shelters.
The Domestic Abuse Awareness, Inc. (DAA) is a non-profit grass roots organization, dedicated to eliminating violence in the home, through increased awareness and education. Ferrato lectures on domestic violence at universities, hospitals, and shelters.
As a photographer, Ferrato has traveled and worked throughout Europe, Africa and the Persian Gulf. Her photographs have been published extensively, in publications such as Life, Fortune, The New York Times Magazine, Stern, Das magazine and DU magazine.
Donna Ferrato is based in New York City and is the mother of a 15 year old daughter.
Donna Ferrato’s photographs of domestic violence graphically display the pain and horror that domestic violence inflicts on ,families. Ferrato’s exhibit was the centerpiece of KDVA’s October Public Awareness Campaign in October 1998. Philip Morris U.S.A., the corporate sponsor, funded the collection of 40 photographs to hang in the Kentucky State Capitol from October 1 – 14. This exhibit was unveiled by First Lady Judi Patton and Donna Ferrato at the October 1, 1998 press conference, at which Governor Paul Patton declared October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Kentucky. State Representative
Kathy Stein remarked, “Donna Ferrato’s work has blazed a new trail for even seasoned professionals in the domestic violence field of how far we still have to go. She reenergizes those of us who thought we had plenty of energy.”
