From Michael Bzdak, Ph.D., Director, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Contributions
If you are in New Brunswick, N.J., this month and want to be inspired, don’t miss an exhibition of amazing photographs at the Zimmerli Art Museum. The photographs are the result of 14 photographers, just beginning their careers, traveling to 46 countries to document community-based programs supported by Johnson & Johnson. You will find beauty, happiness, healing and hope in the faces of children, women and men in communities large and small. You will discover the familiar and the not-so-familiar as you gain visual access to healthcare settings, orphanages and rural settlements where many are challenged but all are hopeful.
Since 2001, Johnson & Johnson has sponsored a fellowship program at the International Center for Photography (ICP) that offers emerging photographers the opportunity to document selected community-based programs supported by Johnson & Johnson in Asia, Africa, Europe, the US and the Latin America. Programs range from a burn treatment center in South Africa to disaster relief efforts in Asia. If you’re interested in reading more about the individual photographers, Art Daily has an article on its website.
This exhibition is one way to celebrate the 125th birthday of Johnson & Johnson, which shares its roots in New Brunswick with Rutgers University, as well as its global reach. These photographs, in a matter of minutes, will transport you to all regions of the world without leaving New Brunswick. While Wall Street talks about globalization, multi-national corporations and the role of business in society, it is important to remember that all organizations, communities and nations are made up of individuals with their own identities, challenges, hopes and dreams.
For Johnson & Johnson, a deeply engrained sense of caring has been the common thread that helps to give our Company a unique and meaningful identity-to our customers, our employees and our communities. Caring is at the core of our global giving program’s mission of making life-changing, long-term differences in human health. This exhibition is literally a view of caring. We are deeply grateful to the 14 photographers for their visual storytelling abilities. We are equally grateful to our partners who bring passion, diligence and strategic vision to their work with us. These photographers and our partners help us all remember that people are at the heart of our global giving. As Johnson & Johnson has become a global enterprise, we have never lost sight of the beauty, strength and vulnerability of those we serve.