ABOUT AMY THOMPSON Avishai

Amy is the founder of The Center for Mindfulness Photography, offering classes, workshops, and retreats. She has over two decades of experience as an educator, mindfulness practitioner and photographer.

A Fulbright fellow, Amy has taught at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Griffin Museum of Photography and other institutions. She is known for her sensitive, spare and nuanced portrayals of people from all walks of life and the natural world.

In her 20s and 30s, Amy photographed for The New York Times and other newspapers, and was featured in National Geographic. She also completed documentary projects abroad, including a Fulbright project about the education of girls in rural areas of Morocco.

Amy was raised across several continents, from North Africa and the Middle East to Europe and North America. She was exposed to mindfulness meditation while photographing in Southeast Asia in 2003. Her own mindfulness practice deepened as time went on and she came to recognize the similarities and synergy between mindfulness meditation and her creative process. Amy soon began introducing mindfulness practices to students at the Griffin Museum of Photography, in the Boston area.

In 2018, Amy moved to Western Massachusetts and began teaching Mindfulness Photography. She is a 2023 graduate of the two-year intensive Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with teachers Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, in partnership with the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California at Berkeley.

AMY'S CV

“I’ve taken numerous photography workshops and Amy’s … remains one of my favorites. Her assignments help you learn to see, not just to photograph…

After a class with Amy, you’ll not only take better pictures, you’ll know more about yourself as a photographer.”

~ Edward Boches, retired creative director and professor

“Amy Thompson Avishai, an experienced photographer and mindfulness practitioner, brings her expertise to create an enriching and inclusive environment.

Don’t miss this opportunity to slow down, nurture your creativity, and deepen your connection to yourself and the world.”

~Mindful.org, publisher of Mindful magazine

“Amy is a thoughtful photographer amplifying beauty in plain sight.

She is a knowledgeable practitioner of mindfulness who is aware of its impact on our creative output.”

~ J. Sybylla Smith, Exhibition Curator, Educator and Program Developer

PHOTO GALLERIES OF AMY'S WORK

Young Mennonites

As we sit side by side at church, I’m politely told that this time is between us and God. Photos aren’t permitted. Later that Sunday, I’m invited to a multigenerational family gathering. Again, no photos allowed.

Ohio is home to one of the country’s largest Mennonite populations. Christian Anabaptists often mistaken for the Amish, non-violence, strong community and simplicity of life are central beliefs.

I was given permission to document a small group of families. I photographed sparingly in the southeastern towns of Zanesville, Logan and Carbon Hill. I appreciated the quiet, gentle rhythm of life — at home, school, church, softball games and picnics. I was especially drawn to the children as I observed how faith seemed to permeate all aspects of their lives.

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Within These Walls: Educating Girls in Rural Morocco

These photos are part of a project about daily life at a Dar Taliba, a girls’ dormitory, built in a small dusty town between the tourist spots of Marrakesh and Essaouira. I wanted to take an intimate look at the lives of ordinary Moroccan girls taking part in a historic process to free themselves from marginalization and illiteracy.

I lived in Morocco as a young girl and, supported by a Fulbright grant, I returned in 2004, just as reforms to the Moudawana, or Family Code, were addressing women’s rights and gender equality.

Because the challenge of educating girls is especially difficult in the countryside, the king of Morocco has supported a national initiative to build dormitories near secondary schools to help girls in remote areas continue their education. “We have focused our interest, first, on rural women,” the king said, “the group most affected by the ills of illiteracy and poverty – two issues I firmly believe are at the heart of human rights, just as they may constitute structural obstacles to democracy.”

Although the dormitory was designed for sixty students, one hundred and eleven girls, between the ages of 13 and 18, boarded there. Some were able to go home on the weekends, like Rachida, who brought me to her family’s farm. Many others, because of finances or distance, stayed at the dormitory for weeks at a time.

Within the walls that separate girls from the public space of boys and men, I discovered a hidden world. I went to the dormitory over a period of several months, spending much of my time simply being with the students. We played volleyball, worked on their French homework, shared meals and slept next to each other in the bunks. Late at night, we danced, and I was included in their talk about boyfriends and secrets.

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Cambodia

Cambodia, 2001 and 2003.

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Nelsonville

Once a coal mining boom town and manufacturing hub, this small Ohio town in Appalachia was linked to the outside world by railroad and canal networks. The area’s rich natural resources of salt, iron ore, clay and coal fueled a vital economy. The town’s famous Star Bricks were exported across the world.

At the turn of the 19th century, the nature of industry in America changed. There are few good jobs to be had and poverty levels are high. Despite the presence of two colleges, most of the population has a level of education significantly below the state average.

An effort to revitalize the town center is underway with the hope of making Nelsonville a destination instead of a place people pass through.

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