ACT

ONE

A Century in the Making

Act One: A Century in the Making is a monumental work of imagery and analysis that bears witness to the world’s most profound transformations since the turn of the millennium.

Combining evocative imagery with original essays by leading scholars and thinkers, this publication explores how the first quarter of the 21st century has shaped the global landscape — politically, socially, culturally, and environmentally

Topics covered include:

  • climate change

  • global conflict

  • race in America

  • geopolitics

  • migration

  • technology

  • human rights

  • global health

Offering readers a deeply immersive experience unfolding over 500 pages of evocative imagery and thought-provoking analysis that together form a unique chronicle of our time.

Emerging from the collaboration of photographers across the globe, drawing on the vision of W. Eugene Smith Award recipients, Guggenheim Fellows, Fulbright Scholars, NEA grantees, and Pulitzer Prize winners, Act One finds its essence at the intersection of imagery and analysis, standing as a testament to a rapidly changing world.

Act One will be published in the fall of 2026 and presented alongside an exhibition opening at QCC Art Gallery in New York, with plans to travel to select universities, colleges, and museums, while also exploring opportunities with international cultural institutions.

Ultimately, Act One offers a space to pause and consider how far we’ve come, what we’ve endured, and what challenges lie ahead. In this defining era, it is a poignant reminder that we stand at the threshold of a century whose outcome is yet to be written. It calls us to bear witness to the first 25 years of the 21st century; to confront where we are, to reckon with who we are, and to imagine what we might yet become.