Selected Projects

Evening of Portraits

I invited people to send me a photograph of someone they took at a moment that was memorable to them. It was important only that the photo was clear and it had a personal meaning to them. For each evening's program [the event was repeated the following year] I assembled the portrait images and projected them on a screen in a darkened room. Each of the respective photographers then came to the front of the room to tell their story of the image we were seeing.

While most of the evening's 20 people participating were from the Los Angeles area, I also invited a few noted photographers from around the US and a National Geographic photographer from Portugal who had just returned from a children's project in Africa. Each of them sent a written commentary which was read in the room by a poet friend of mine.

In the telling of their story, the moments seemed to come back to each of the photographers so profoundly in their love, wild adventures, distant friends and sometimes the missing or a loss of a family member.

The beautiful surprise was how the candid stories brought everyone in room together afterward. Most of them did not know each other before the evening began.

PHOTOVARIOUS  

The unique ability to see differently, to perceive or assign an image or likeness with seemingly different properties, attributes or interpretations, resulting in something wholly independent of another. 

When I was asked to curate a photography show for the Long Beach Creative Group I knew right away I didn’t want to do a standard legacy show where we simply invited all the regular experienced photo people in the region to show their best shots.  

Photography and photo imaging is changing so much and I wanted to bring together a collection of artists who today are actively breaking the boundaries in their process, approaching the camera and its role in photo imaging in new and compelling ways. It was also essential the work from each artist was  presented extremely well and professionally produced with quality materials.  

We had over 60 qualified submissions and in choosing the 9 artists we would subsequently exhibit, I wanted to make sure that collectively the art in the gallery was engaging to those who came to visit, that it spoke clearly and could  draw the viewer in more closely.  

Even in the 2020 pandemic, with the gallery open by appointment only the show was well attended. We were able to have small private gatherings for each of the artists and the work sold very well. On the strength of the work presented, some artists even sold work from their personal catalog beyond the exhibit itself.  

Currently there are plans to produce a second PHOTOVARIOUS Exhibit in 2022.

Stream of Life

The initial concept of the "Stream of Life" installation was to promote the importance of Children, Families, Learning, Curiosity, and Engagement. The project was planned for a central municipal location in Davenport, IA. but suffering a number of bureaucratic complications, we were invited by Rachel Mullins and the Putnam Museum of Davenport to bring the project to their extensive facility. With their ongoing efforts and cooperation the concept grew and in 2022 the project will launch.

It consists of a large 20' x 40' courtyard waterfall that will connect multiple rooms. The overall project will be designed to promote and facilitate family engagement for the people of the community through a variety of programs and events dedicated to looking beyond the traditional family model, redefining and strengthening how families and neighborhoods interact today.

The waterfall and room interiors we are designing are central to the installation with the sound and flow of the water as a unifying "voice" to everything that happens there or by extension to other gathering locations. Several programs by the Putnam are being developed and facilitated by two family scholars in residence from the University of Iowa. Local boys and girls clubs, schools, and adult organizations will be able to use the center in their family education efforts and events as well.

The installation and engagement center is scheduled for opening in the spring of 2022