Since 2010, Robert Xavier-Fogarty has invited people to share meaningful messages with them and the world.
What began in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has grown into a global storytelling practice with more than one million participants worldwide. Using photography, filmmaking, reflection, interviewing, and writing, Dear World helps people articulate their values and identify the stories that matter most to share with others.
Along the way, the work became something larger than a project. It evolved into a movement because it reveals what happens when people are given permission to tell the truth, and someone is willing to truly listen.
“Hit your radar
— INC. MAGAZINE
screen soon.”
The Turning Point
Robert moved to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He worked for the Mayor, answering the city hall switchboard. He was a journalist at heart, interviewing people about why they loved their broken city.
“And then one night
a man wrote
‘Cancer Free.’”
Robert felt butterflies in his stomach. It changed his life. Dear World launched shortly thereafter and now Robert has personally photographed more than 100,000 people.
Global Service
Crisis Response
From Boston Marathon bombing survivors and Syrian refugees to those who walked out of the Pulse nightclub, Robert goes where the human spirit is being tested.
Public Art
Co-creator of the Evacuspots — a citywide system of 15-foot tall markers in New Orleans that serve as global examples of art serving public safety.
A Moment of Resilience
Celeste Corcoran, who lost her legs at the Boston Marathon bombing, returned to the finish line with Robert to share her message.
