“This piece makes me love everyone and want to be a better person. Whatever I have paid in, it’s not enough. Fabulous work, JJ.”

—Paige Moore

“We are proud to recognize JJ Tiziou, a photographer of profound talent and commitment. Over the years, JJ has worked persistently to advance media justice, communities’ right to self-determination, and equitable labor practices by documenting and supporting the grassroots organizing efforts of countless community groups”

—Spiral-Q Puppet Theater

“Your events are nothing short of magical and me and my friends had a great time last night watching the show and meeting people in the neighborhood.”

—Mike DeLiso

“Your happenings always make me excited and proud to call Philly home.”

—Sarah Zlotnik

“I just wanted to send you a note saying how blown away I was by the scope of your work and mostly how touched I was by your service in your community and your ability to translate such moments.”

—Danielle Carr

“I’ve seen his website and his beautiful portraits that prove his personal belief, that he hasn’t encountered an un-photogenic person. He truly sees the beauty of each human being, and that in itself bespeaks of his spiritual self.”

—Leticia Nixon

“What a complete and total privilege to spend the past three days watching you dance, meeting friends of yours who so lovingly support you and your work, and all the beautiful dancers who shared their spotlight with you and introduced me to forms of dance I never even knew existed. […] What an amazing city, what a fabulous idea of yours to explore and celebrate it through dance … I can’t wait to see what comes next. … you are so incredibly gifted…and so incredibly generous.”

—Judy Hellman, Mural Arts

“I’ve gotten about 18 million emails about this from different sources. My inbox is abuzz.”

—Baylor Harton

“jj, it is all so amazing. i can’t wait for the day when i do the 95 drive-by and see your work there — a gift for all those coming to our city — letting everyone know of our diversity, our strength, our beauty, our joy…. i enjoyed helping on sunday. thanks for letting me be a part of your magic.”

—Aseel Rasheed

“I was thoroughly impressed with the staff/volunteers at the HPM photo shoot. Everyone was very professional and helpful. I think the project is great since it will showcase many forms of dance in such a prominent location in the city. Also, I was excited to have had the opportunity to be photographed by J.J. His work is phenomenal and it is indeed an honor to have been selected to be a part of the project.”

—Yolanda Sample

“I thought that it was an amazing experience, the people were all amazing, and J.J. is extremely talented. I felt very welcome, appreciated and accepted amongst the staff and very different array of dancers that participated. It also gave us a venue to come together and have a sort of dance fellowship, to be creative, share, learn, and sweat together. I felt very connected to the mission of the project and I believe this was expressly shown through my performance. I was on a sort of high in which my body and spirit took control, giving it all up and saving nothing, leaving me breathless. The genre(s) of dance I performed, being so expressive, as well as the receptive environment, really allowed me to release and give my all, hopefully giving J.J. an experience to capture. I really felt a sense of value, meaning, and worth in being able to contribute to the project.”

—Roshelle Lennon

“It was such a pleasure getting to support you while your worked last weekend. The shoot felt like a real celebration of our community — helping out felt like giving thanks for this fabulous community of creative people that I am blessed to be a part of. Congratulations to you for not only taking over 10k images, but also for modeling how to do a job while staying relaxed, appreciating your crew, and having fun. Hurrah and three cheers.”

—Erin Foreman-Murray

“You embody what we are looking for in an artist to work with the kids, a person who knows and loves his arts and is able to share that knowledge in love with others. Please come back!!!!!”

—Ida Ginnetti, St. Thomas Day School

“JJ, This is AMAZING!!! […] The students are going to freak out!”

—Jeb Lewis

“Students found your work incredibly inspiring and meaningful…. We really enjoyed getting the chance to work with you, and are looking forward to collaborating with you again soon!”

—Katie McCabe, Urban Poverty Liaison, Civic House Associates Coalition & Michael Reis, Graduate Assistant, Civic House