change the truth update

By now you have probably noticed the modifications to the blog: new color, new name, labeling by subject, etc. Because we are now building a website that will be devoted exclusively to Change the Truth, it will make sense to eventually have the majority of Ugandan updates appear there. Changethetruth.org should be out from under construction by the end of April. In the meantime, I will continue to use this blog to update you on Change the Truth issues, but will focus on other subjects more and more often.

The Change the Truth video is near completion. Look for excerpts on the new website. I will incorporate this six-minute video into my power point presentation, which is about my work in general and the work in Uganda specifically. Various groups have started to ask me to make presentations, so as time goes on, more and more people will know about - and hopefully support - the project.

Funds have been sent to St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood to support the brick making and brick laying project! Thank you for your positive response to the request for aid. This project will help the children learn to help themselves succeed. I can’t think of a better way to assist.

The Change the Truth brochures, expertly designed by my friend Brian Reisinger, are now at the printer. They will be mailed soon and will be distributed at the opening of my Uganda exhibition, at presentations, etc. If you receive one and have already made a contribution this year, please pass it along to a friend.

Other goodies to look for on the website will be Change the Truth t-shirts, as well as beaded jewelry made by the children! All proceeds from the sales of these items will go directly to the orphanage.

exhibition at dolphin

DOLPHIN PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

APRIL 6 – 28, 2007

Yellowstone, 2006, From the "Shredding Project"



BARRY ANDERSON

JON SCOTT ANDERSON

GLORIA BAKER FEINSTEIN

JESSE DEMARTINO

DEANNA DIKEMAN

ELIJAH GOWIN

MICHAEL SINCLAIR

KATI TOIVANEN

JAIMIE WARREN

Opening reception, Friday April 6, 6 to 9 PM

Window Installations by Katherine Hair and Jeffrey Eaton

DOLPHIN GALLERY
1901 Baltimore Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64108

tel: 816.842-5877
www.thedolphingallery.com

it takes a hero

That's the name of the punk band my drummer son Max is in. Tonight they had their first real gig - at El Torreon in Kansas City. Eddie and I were definitely the elders in the crowd, but it was a lot of fun.

trinidad

The world is definitely a smaller place because of the Internet. A few days ago I received a certified letter from Trinidad. Inside the envelope was a check for Change the Truth. I thought that was pretty amazing!

talk about a traveling show...

An eighteen wheeler will be traversing the country with this as its side panels and the image below as its back panel. This should bring a lot of attention to Operation Breakthrough, and if drivers on the highway look very carefully and read the fine print, I will get some attention as well!

starfish revisited

Children at St. Maria Orphanage, Magada, Uganda

The following is an entry (and a follow-up comment) from a volunteer-abroad website, Volunteerlogue.com, with which I have recently become acquainted. The writer is Katie. As you may recall, I talked about the Starfish Theory in a previous post (February 21).

“The Starfish Theory is a nice story and has an important message: you can’t do everything, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do what you can. Or, what you do, even if it only helps one person, makes a world of difference to that person.

To me, the danger of using this story too often is this: what if there were a way to stop all those starfish from ending up on the beach in the first place, but it meant that all of us would have to make some sacrifice or accept a change we might not like, and we wouldn’t get to pat ourselves on the back for throwing them back?

What if people who didn’t mind the starfish but didn’t really care all that much and certainly didn’t want to make any sacrifices on their own were able to avoid making those bigger changes by saying, 'Look at those people throwing the starfish back – see? Something is being done. We don’t need to make any changes. There are these marvelous humanitarians already on it. The problem will be solved in no time, so we can relax.'

Is there really a solution to stop starfish from washing up on the shore? I think not (though who knows, I could be wrong). Are there possibly solutions to human problems which require major changes and involve others making sacrifices, which people may avoid by citing humanitarian projects? I would say probably yes.

My point is not ‘don’t bother throwing starfish back’ but ‘keep your mind open to different possible consequences, and don’t just accept that any form of help is necessarily the best."

Comment from Kendall:

“I wonder these things too. Band-aid solutions. Self-indulgent altruism. Bleeding-heart do-gooders who actually add to the problem. I always worry that I’m one of THEM, failing to see the big picture because I keep myself so busy with the starfish. Both are necessary: we need to make BIG changes (and that usually means working with a whole movement of people); and at the same time we each need to do what we can. If our boundaries of “what we can” are infinitely porous and able to stretch till they snap, we run the risk of burn-out. If we wait for a groundswell of a movement to ride, we run the risk of doing nothing at all, or maybe signing the occasional internet petition and then going shopping. Each of us has to find the balance, examine our motives, and work in community when we can find community.”

brick making and brick laying project

“An individual empowered with vocational skills does not need to be employed. Such an individual can start a small-scale low capital business, as the key business input is the individual’s skills. The output of such a business will normally be focused on the local consumption/ purchase patterns. In this way the goods produced are sold locally with little overhead cost and virtually no transport costs.

Those who go to school they have to do the vocational work on Saturdays and on the holidays so that they can attain skills and make items to generate income for the orphanage to cater for the orphanage needs, which are a lot.”

This is an excerpt from a project proposal sent to me by Rosemary and Michael at St. Mary Kevin’s. I had asked them to determine what their greatest need is at present (other than helping the children with their school fees). Rosemary is a firm believer in establishing a set of vocational skills for the orphans so they can eventually make their own way in Ugandan society. The best way “Change the Truth” can help is to provide ways for the children to learn to help themselves.


The Brick Making and Brick Laying project is a continuation of a project St. Mary Kevin’s has had in place for years. What the proposal includes is the purchase of things like (the wish list for supplies is quite detailed – the research that went into this is obviously extensive) lake sand, plaster sand, a paver’s machine, a half brick machine, a ventilation machine, eucalyptus poles, nails, iron sheets and cement.

The older children have made bricks at St. Mary Kevin’s for a long time. They use the bricks to build their own buildings on the grounds of the orphanage, and they sell the bricks to generate income for food, clothing and other needs.

Rosemary has known for some time that the project needs to be updated and enlarged. She is asking for our help.

color

Today I begin a three-day stint in the editing suite with a very talented video editor named Cara, at an elegant and gorgeous production facility called Take 2. The generous people at Take 2 are donating their time and resources to “Change the Truth.” The goal is that at the end of three days, we’ll have a finished video complete with film footage, songs, interviews with the children and still photos made at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood.



I have been sifting through color images that could be used use in the video and am surprised at how much I am drawn to them. I’m one who has always claimed that I “see in black and white” and I have never had much interest in making color photographs. The Uganda project has been the first body of work that I’ve shot digitally, so this is new to me. Having the opportunity to see the images in both color and black and white is kind of interesting. I must admit I am getting somewhat seduced by the color.

maria

I run through this silly, probably obnoxious series of questions when I am making a child’s portrait, just to get him or her to relax, smile, laugh, and realize I am nowhere near threatening. Sometimes I ask the same questions of adults – things like who’s your favorite superhero, what was the last good book you read, what’s your favorite food, who’s your favorite teacher, what was the last annoying thing your brother or sister did to you… that kind of thing.

I usually also throw in what’s your favorite color? This works well with both kids and adults. Usually, they pause, give it a little thought, and then smile fully with the absolute knowledge that aquamarine or salmon or sparkly silver is the current pick.

Yesterday I photographed a Holocaust survivor named Maria. I fired off the first question, not really giving it a lot of thought: what’s your favorite color? No pause necessary. “White,” she said in her thick Polish accent. I went about shooting, but she continued, in a very serious tone. She explained to me that it was white, yes, definitely white, and it had been white ever since the day she was liberated from the place she and her mother hid for twenty-eight months during the Nazi invasion and occupation of Poland. I put my camera aside and listened as she described how absolutely dark everything was in the cramped underground bunker, how sometimes she would ask her mother why does it always have to be so dark and her mother shushed her and said, quiet, someone will hear you. Once they were freed from this place of hiding, young Maria was wowed by the light, by everything bright.

It meant life to her.

Sixty-odd years later and her home is white on white – white carpet, white furniture, white flowers, white drapes. Her favorite clothes are white.

She doesn’t like dark.

I hoisted up my camera after she finished answering my simple question so I could continue making pictures of her. Through the viewfinder she suddenly looked different to me.

It’s amazing how one seemingly innocuous question can bring you to a deeper understanding of someone else. One of the true blessings of doing what I do.

bad things happen to good people

Michael, the director of the orphanage at St. Mary Kevin’s is a mensch. He is a kindhearted, genuine, earnest and decent man. He works tirelessly to help these children who have so little.

Michael’s laptop was stolen. Now, I can certainly relate to the heartache, frustration and anger that he’s experiencing. My laptop was stolen when I was in Uganda. I lost a few pictures and a few things I’d written. Michael, however, has lost all the records he had been keeping with regard to the orphanage, all his project proposals… it’s immense. He described the theft as a “big loss in his life.” When I saw the subject title of the email, I was certain someone had died.

Immediately upon my return from Africa, I drove down to the local Apple store and replaced my stolen computer with a cool, shiny new one. Michael won’t be so lucky. Not only has he lost months and months of work, now he will simply do without a computer until something else comes along. (It was a gift in the first place.)

As I sit here in Kansas City thinking about it, I am just fuming – angrier than I was the first time around dealing with this stolen laptop scenario. I was a tourist – it was somehow understandable. Michael is a Ugandan. A Ugandan mensch, at that.

kentucky 4

We spent the afternoon going through old photos. I am always delighted when I discover ones I feel certain I took as a child and amazed when I come across wonderful images of the family I’ve never seen before. What really astounds me, though, is the tack sharp memory my father has when recalling the circumstances surrounding people, places or events in the pictures, even ones dating back to the 1940’s!

This photograph of my grandparents and older brother was taken in the late 40’s. My father was probably the photographer. He has always claimed he has no artistic sense, but I am beginning to question that.

I culled more slides for my Shredding Project, too – ten more to play around with. I’m excited to get started on them. Speaking of the Shredding Project, several of the large ones (28” x 28”) will be installed in the April exhibition at Dolphin Gallery in Kansas City. I am honored to be part of this show that includes images by Elijah Gowin, Deanna Dikeman, Jesse DeMartino and Michael Sinclair. The opening for the show will be Friday, April 6th. More on that to come.

kentucky 3

Yesterday my dad and I drove down to the Kentucky River. It was a gorgeous drive on country roads that snake through horse and tobacco farms. Dad was born and raised in Lexington, and he is no slouch when it comes to the history of the area. He always makes for a great tour guide. When we reached the river, we drove onto a rustic, old three-car ferry (this isn’t the original ferry, but the operation dates back to 1785) that transported us across to Madison County. Dad recalled one time when he and my mom came down to the river and stretched out on its banks on a blanket to watch a lunar eclipse. He has eighty-six years worth of memories of places like this. It is a treat to hear him tell the stories.

kentucky 2

This is my childhood bedroom - still pretty much the same as it was back in the day! The "teen creed" and Beatles pictures I used to have hanging on the wall has been replaced by some of my photographs, but otherwise, it's still my old room. I think the matching bedspread, wallpaper, drapes and waste paper basket date back to my early adolescence.

kentucky

I took my Dad to the barbershop yesterday for a haircut - same place he's been going for thirty-five years. Time seems to have stood still in this place.

oprah

Yesterday’s Oprah show featured several women from North Carolina who had gone to Liberia to do mission work and had returned with the notion of adopting some of the orphans they had met there. These determined moms did just that and are now raising African children in the city of Charlotte. Max was watching the show with me and asked if I had considered doing the same thing when I was in Uganda. I had to admit that, while it had crossed my mind on several occasions, I was actually looking forward to this next chapter in my life – the empty nest one - which will allow me to pick up and go whenever and wherever I’d like. Ideally, I’ll travel with my camera in my backpack and make pictures while I’m away - pictures that will ultimately benefit other people, open peoples’ eyes to certain situations and open my own eyes, too.

I take my hat off to these women and their families, though.

Often I just sit and look through the images I made in Uganda, lingering on faces, studying expressions, considering certain moments - trying to take in the details in a more complete way. I still cannot fully explain what it was that moved me so. Listening to the moms on Oprah talk about their experiences in Liberia, though, struck a chord. And looking into the faces of the children they have adopted, even though just on a TV screen, reminded me of the way I felt when I was walking around the orphanage hand in hand with the children there.

Tomorrow I will travel to Kentucky to visit my father for a few days. As some of you know, I will sleep in the same bedroom that has been mine for nearly fifty years! When I consider the stability, the connectedness and the certainty that I have been granted – things that have really been the centerpiece of my life – I feel lucky. The children at Operation Breakthrough and the children at the orphanage in Uganda refer to their homes as the places where they “stay.” Not where they “live.”

I bet these hopeful, happy kids who have found themselves in Charlotte say that’s where they live now. How cool is that…

mailing list

I have been busy printing, matting and framing pieces for the exhibition, which is set to open at the Leopold Gallery in Kansas City on April 27th. Please let me know if you would like to be added to my (snail) mail list, so you can receive an invitation to the opening reception. Just drop me an email with your address (gbfeinstein@aol.com).

convergence

Boys Swimming, Kansas, 2004

This image of mine was featured on Leopold Gallery's blog a few days ago. A reader named Walker made some comments I really enjoyed:

"Anyone who has attempted the medium knows that there is but a brief second when the fates converge, when line, form, contrast, and some inexplicable thing (beauty, mystery, eloquence) are captured on a negative. Only later does one find the positive emerging from the chemical baptismal bath, only later does one choose between the image taken two seconds before the boy with outstretched arms jumped in or up, or the one just after when his arm blocked the face of another who is now swimming away. And how intensely frustrating it is when the vision is missed, when one is too late, or too early, when one failed to make the proper calculations of exposure, or composition, or damnit put film in the camera (sounds ridiculous I know but that kind of stuff does happen). Conversely what a joy when these elements succeed."

beaded jewelry from st. mary kevin's

The beads are handcrafted from recycled magazine paper. First the paper is cut into long strips and then rolled tightly to make a bead. Then the bead is varnished for sheen and durability. Finally, beads are selected for matching hues and then strung together to create bracelets and necklaces.

Michael and Rosemary sent lots of pieces that the teachers and children at the St. Mary Kevin community have made. They began this project in December. I am still waiting to get prices, but thought it would be fun to give readers of the blog a glimpse of the colorful and fun jewelry from St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood!

usc or bust

Our mail carrier, whose name is Bump, showed up at our front door yesterday afternoon with a big fat envelope from USC. Because of the weight of the envelope, Eddie and I decided it must be good news; we promptly hid it, thumbed through the yellow pages, found a store way out south that sells collegiate apparel and got in the car to go purchase two (well, Dad needs one) USC hats. We made dinner plans at his favorite sushi restaurant. Eddie and I went early, slipped the USC envelope inside the menu, put the hats under the table and then tried to act nonchalant as Max walked in. I handed him his menu, grabbed my camera and set about watching Max's reaction through my viewfinder as it slowly hit him that he had been accepted to the Music Industry program at the Thornton School of Music at USC - his dream choice for college. He laughed, then he cried, then there were high fives all around the table. It was one of those priceless moments parents get to share with their children every once in a while if they're lucky. What a great evening!

jack and isak

Last night the board of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education honored our founders Jack and Isak with birthday cakes and balloons as they prepare to celebrate their 80th and 85th birthdays respectively. Jack and Isak are both survivors, both dear and remarkable men. Both have been important role models for me; my admiration, respect and affection for them runs deep.

Jack grew up in the Holocaust. Born in the free state of Danzig in 1927, he was just 12 years old when Hitler invaded Poland. At age 13, he was captured by the Nazis and for the next two years, he worked in series of forced labor camps. In 1942, he was deported and imprisoned at Blechammer concentration camp, the first of many such camps where he would be sent prior to his liberation on May 7, 1945. He was the sole survivor of his family of six. Jack and his friend Isak arrived in the United States in June 1946. Together they founded the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education in 1993.

Isak was the sole survivor of an entire family. Born in Poland in 1922, at the age of seventeen, he was arrested by the SS and sent to Miechow. Four years later, in 1943, he and other prisoners were loaded into boxcars and sent west. He spent the next twenty-six months in eleven different camps, always under the control of the SS. He was sent to Bergen-Belsen twice. He managed to escape once, but was shot and recaptured. Towards the end of the war, he was sent to Sandposten, ninety-eight kilometers from Bergen-Belsen. At liberation, in April 1945, Isak weighed only eighty pounds and had to recover in a British field hospital. That Christmas, on hearing a translation of President Truman's speech to the American people declaring that he would allow 100,000 displaced persons to immigrate to the United States, Isak resolved to leave Europe. He and Ann, his wife-to-be, arrived in the United States in June 1946. They were the first Holocaust survivors married in Kansas City.

To say that these men have made a profound difference in the lives of many would be an understatement. Their mission: to teach the history and lessons of the Holocaust to people of all races and religious beliefs throughout the Midwest to prevent its recurrence and perpetuate understanding, compassion, and mutual respect for generations to come.

I, for one, feel very lucky to know Jack and Isak - and honored to call them my friends.

package from uganda

Lots of goodies arrived today, thanks to Susan who managed to find room in her suitcase for these things from the folks at St. Mary Kevin's. Among other things, there are bags and bags of beaded jewelry made by the children, a CD with more songs and this canvas. One of the children made this painting of some of the orphans and me!

silhouette

Tim Wride, curator of photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, selected this image for inclusion in the upcoming exhibition "The Art of Photography" which will be held in April at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery in San Diego. I made this image at the boxing gym in Kampala - looking up at a man peering in through the window.

column by mary sanchez

Pond of Human Ashes, Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp, 2001
from the series Among the Ashes

I had the good fortune to meet Mary Sanchez, a columnist for the Kansas City Star, a couple of years ago when we were judges for the White Rose Essay contest sponsored by the MIdwest Center for Holocaust Education. I thought her column that appeared in the Star on 2/27 was really interesting and definitely worth sharing:

"Lives Still Hang in the Balance of U.S. Policies -

I suspect I’m like a lot of women of a certain age who were obsessed with Anne Frank’s diary as a young girl. When little girls read Anne Frank, it is usually their first look at the evils of mankind. Devouring page after page, bonding with our new little friend, we’re horrified by the unwritten end. “She died!” my niece cried after she read the book as a 12-year-old.

Now, with the newly discovered correspondence of Anne’s father, Otto Frank, a new layer of tragedy has been added. Anne’s life, along with those of her mother and sister, might have been spared had U.S. officials granted the family visas. A nearly 80-page dossier of Otto Frank’s papers turned up in New York’s YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, evidence of a man’s desperate campaign to save his family’s lives — and a bureaucratic system that took little notice.

The bureaucracy in question was our own. Throughout 1941, shortly before his family was forced into hiding, Otto Frank sought permission to emigrate to the United States, enlisting stateside family members and influential business leaders to plead his case and to help pay the hefty fees. His efforts came to nothing.

This is the prologue of Anne’s story, the reason she ended up hiding in that 'Secret Annex' in the first place, spilling her girlish thoughts into a diary now among the most treasured of literary works.

Better connected and wealthier than most, Otto Frank could tap friends like one who was an heir to the Macy’s fortune. Otto did manage to get a visa to enter Cuba but was given only one, for himself. His wife’s brothers already lived in the United States, and both they and their employers did all they could do. But by early 1939, the waiting list for those visas was 300,000 names long.

As Hitler tightened his grip on Europe, the United States was curtailing access to coveted visas for those fleeing Europe — especially, it appears, for Jews. The United States expected soon to be at war with Germany, and the State Department believed German immigrants posed a security risk. By 1941, when Germany declared war on the United States, those with relatives in Germany were all but banned from immigrating.

We now know how tragic and wrong this policy was. By 1941, the Nazis had begun in earnest their genocide against the Jews in the East, but the fate of Jews in Western Europe was still in question. By 1942, Germany adopted the so-called Final Solution and built the gas chambers. In the brief period before Germany declared war on the United States, how many European Jews could have escaped had America opened its doors to them? How could U.S. officials have failed to admit them, knowing what was in store?

Otto Frank’s case forces us to consider these questions. It also ought to add complexity to how Anne Frank’s diary is taught. The book is usually assigned to teach tolerance, a relatively simple story of victims and perpetrators. We’re content to let preteens connect with Anne as she stews about fights with her sister, bristles at her mother’s scolding, and peers out, perplexed, at a frightening and hostile world. Hers is a timeless tale of youth convinced it will never be understood.

Yet there is a disconnect for children reading the book in the warmth and safety of their own homes, at their neighborhood school, or, as in my case, tucked into bed, huddled against curfew with a flashlight under the bedcovers. Anne’s world was long ago and far away, and things are different now.

We’d like to think that with 24-hour cable news and countless blogs, and with all the human rights organizations active today, such horrors could be stopped. If we just knew, we’d rise up in protest, right?

But then there is Darfur. And New Orleans. And our government pulls an innocent Canadian citizen off a plane and bundles him off to Syria for a year of torture. The man is a Muslim and his name is on a list. Suspicion is justified not by deed but by his identity. National security is at stake.

Her father’s letters reveal that, however indirectly and unintentionally, U.S. policy sealed Anne Frank’s fate. Explaining that to young readers may help them to think differently about horrors they see in the news every day. And, maybe, it will change how they react."

(c) 2006, The Kansas City Star.
Distributed by Tribune Media Services

huge photos

I know that the trend in fine art photography has been moving toward larger and larger print sizes, but this is crazy! I am so excited about this new project: a major trucking company based in Kansas City has offered to transform the sides of one of their semis into the wall space, if you will, for some of my photos from Operation Breakthrough. They will blow these puppies up to outrageous proportions and plaster them on the sides of a truck. Then as this truck travels across highways and biways, it will advertise Operation Breakthrough and grant people from all across the US the opportunity to see some of the adorable children who grace the hallways, classrooms and playgrounds at the center.

change the truth update

The information that is available concerning USE (Universal Secondary Education) in Uganda has been somewhat confusing. I asked Rosemary, director of St. Mary Kevin’s to clarify what is going on. I received this response from her:

“We’re all exited about USE but we don’t know yet if we shall have it. Also, this started with Senior One this year and will be continuing with those children to Senior Four. That means children who are in Senior Two now are also still paying. This Universal Secondary Education has just been introduced to Uganda and it has not worked out yet to some areas in Uganda so our children are still paying who are in secondary.

About the young children in primary, these children are meant to pay money to the school such that the school can run its needs, for example teacher’s payments and other school needs. As you know we have St Mary Kevin Orphanage and St Mary Kevin Primary School.
St. Mary Kevin Primary school makes a fees subsidy to the orphans. Tuition fees for the orphans are subsidized at 50% level costing Ush 20,000 (US $10) tuition fee per child per term, with three terms a year. We normally try to look for that money through the small projects like the beads making, weaving, brick making where those Items are sold to generate income for the orphanage.

Thank you Gloria and Change the Truth for your advocacy in United States concerning the needy children in Uganda. You are making the St. Mary Kevin Community very happy at the possibility of finding these, your children, a better life.”

I would also like to acknowledge the incredibly generous and talented people who are working hard to Change the Truth. These folks have been kind enough to do work for the organization without expecting any payment. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate their efforts:

Brian Reisinger (Brooklyn) has a design firm called Swandive. He is doing all of the design work for the brochure and the website.

Take 2 Productions (Kansas City) is offering up the skills of the wonderful Cara Meyers to put together the video presentation.

David Andre and Joan Herman (Kansas City) are lawyers - and good friends of mine - who are busy working on trademark issues and not-for-profit status.

Jayne Olderman (Atlanta) is a singer-songwriter who helped out with the production of the CD featuring the kids from St. Mary Kevin’s singing "A Child of Africa."

Susan Panelli (Minneapolis) is a filmmaker who recently went to Uganda and shot lots of great footage at St. Mary Kevin’s. We’ll be able to use this in the video presentation, as well as on the website.

Lynn Auerbach (Boston and Uganda) operates a non-for-profit called “Connect Africa.” She has been very helpful in getting funds from Change the Truth transferred to St. Mary Kevin’s.

This is definitely a group effort. Thank you so much to all who are assisting with this project, whether it is with your talent and time or with your dollars. It means the world to the kids at St. Mary Kevin’s.

birthday

Today is my mom’s birthday. If she were still alive she’d be 84.

I guess I started taking pictures of her when I was around seven or eight. I didn’t take many of her alone then; this one of her standing by the car is of the few I can find. I remember that she didn’t like having her picture taken – she’d pose patiently for a couple of seconds, then dismiss the whole thing with an “Oh, Gloria!” and kind of shoo me away. As I got older, I think I took her picture mostly when she wasn’t looking. When she did gaze at me and give me the gift of a portrait, I recall lingering in the viewfinder just to study her a bit longer. She was really beautiful in my eyes - much more elegant and stylish than I’d ever hoped to be. Later in life, with her snow-white hair, porcelain skin, clear blue eyes and long, tapered fingers, I thought she was striking.

early 1960's

1972

1999

2002

the day before my mom died, 2005

making pictures

My camera and I have been in some pretty sad situations together. I have made pictures at the sites of several former Nazi concentration camps in Central Europe and pictures of my mother dying. I have found myself imposing a frame around faces at AIDS orphanages in Uganda and those tearfully staring at the remains of the twin towers in New York City. The work I’ve been doing at Operation Breakthrough has been heart wrenching as well.

People have asked me from time to time how I can get it together to raise the camera to my eye and concentrate on making an image at a time when I should be crying my eyes out. I’ve thought about that a lot. All I know for sure is that using the camera can do two things for me: remove me from the scene and bring me closer to the scene.

Photographing my mother as she died made it seem less real for me, but also shook me and forced me to really look at what was happening.

One day last week I went with a young woman to the cemetery to make pictures of her at the grave of her brother. He had been killed on the streets of Kansas City, gunned down while walking home one day. This young woman, a teenager, told me that her family had been able to raise enough money to bury her brother, but not to put a head stone at the burial site. Since I was supposed to photograph her where he was buried, she wanted to make sure that was where she was standing. But if there is no head stone or marker of any kind, that’s kind of hard to do. She explained to me that shortly after he died, she had crafted a marker herself, had dug a small hole in the ground and had placed it just where she thought the coffin had gone into the ground. The groundskeeper at the cemetery had removed it, though. So, the only way she can find the right spot these days is to feel around on the ground for the indentation that was left by the home made marker.

Now I must say I was pretty stoic while listening to the story of the murder and the funeral and the hand made marker – after all, I had a job to do and that was to make photographs. Remove myself from the situation…

But as I watched through the viewfinder as this young woman kicked the ground, trying desperately to find where her brother was with the toe of her grubby sneaker, getting angrier and more frustrated by the minute, it finally got to me. Bring me closer to the situation…

There is always that moment when it does eventually get to me. Usually, though, it’s after the fact. I remember finally breaking down in the darkroom, as I was rocking an image of shoes from Auschwitz in my tray of developer.

I guess I had removed myself from them when I was there, concentrating on the correct shutter and film speed I needed to use in order to make the proper exposure.

Then I guess I got closer to them as I stood there in the glow of the darkroom red light noticing for the first time the shapes and sizes and styles of the shoes, the seemingly infinite number of them, the sadness left behind in them.

Fighting back tears that afternoon last week at the cemetery really caught me off guard.

child of africa

Filmmaker Susan Panelli returned from Uganda last weekend with some great footage she shot at the orphanage. She will provide Change the Truth with whatever we need for our video presentation and for the website that is currently under construction. She's also going to make a short film to give to the orphanage for use in their own fund raising endeavors. It was so wonderful of Susan to make the trip up to St. Mary Kevin's from Kampala. I appreciate her willingness to get involved on this level. Thank you so much, Susan.

This is a beautiful clip of a young girl named Shamim singing "Child of Africa." This song was written by one of the teachers at St. Mary Kevin's and is usually sung by several children. I actually have a nice audio version of this being sung by the group, but the single voice of Shamim is, I believe, powerfully haunting and sad.

the truth – how quickly it can change

As if from out of nowhere, on Monday, the President of Uganda announced a program of Universal Secondary Education for all qualified students in the country! This is extraordinary news, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to know that the children whose truth we want to change will have this opportunity. In an e-mail I received from Rosemary, the director of St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood, she expressed her gladness on behalf of the children, but also indicated that the implementation of the program has not been without challenges.

“About the Free Secondary Education (USE), it has just been introduced by the government of Uganda. This year some schools were selected to take part in the USE program, majority of the schools are in villages, a few schools in Kampala. The number of students turning up for senior one has overwhelmed the schools, as they cannot accommodate them. We will however carry out further research to see how best the children at the orphanage that are starting their secondary education can best benefit from this program. All the children selected by Change the Truth Fund are in school now. A detailed report about this will be sent to you soon.”

While this is such encouraging news, and could mean that we will no longer need to provide financial support for secondary education for the children at the orphanage, there is so much more that needs to be done and to which we will now turn our attention. The needs of the orphanage are many, from basic necessities like food and clothing, to infrastructure like buildings and technology, to financial support for University education. The Change the Truth Fund will continue to play an important role. As I learn more from Rosemary, I will keep you posted.

starfish

I spent the morning in the sound studio listening to the Operation Breakthrough “success story” interviews. It’s moving to hear about the rescue of this or that particular child and inspiring to think that we each are capable of doing something so good for someone else that it can turn his/her life around. It made me remember a story our rabbi told a few years ago during one of his sermons. You may have already heard a similar tale, but I believe it’s worth considering again and again.

- A kid is walking along a beach that is absolutely covered with starfish. They have been washed ashore by a bad storm, and apparently, starfish can’t survive for very long out of the water. This kid knows it and stoops to pick up one of the starfish. She then tosses it back into the ocean and proceeds to pick up another. A man walks by and asks what in the world she is doing. “I’m throwing them back so they can live,” she explained. “But you can’t possibly really make a difference here!” the man responded as he motioned towards the thousands of starfish that lay at their feet. “Oh, but look,” the girl called out as she threw back another of the little creatures… “I just made a difference in the life of THAT one!”

jinja

This last print puts the finishing touch on the body of work from Uganda, 2006.




I am now trying to figure out when I can return to the Pearl of Africa. (By the way, if you have not yet seen “The Last King of Scotland” I urge you to do so. It is an incredibly well acted, beautifully shot and apparently fairly accurate portrayal of the Idi Amin era and was filmed in and around Kampala).

The snow is finally melting. It’s even supposed to hit 60 degrees in Kansas City today.

I am beginning to feel a twinge of optimism that this forgettable winter will actually come to an end.

letter from susan

Susan, a filmmaker from Minneapolis, just completed her two-week Maine Photographic Workshop in Uganda. She and I began corresponding via e-mail when I was there in October. We have developed a wonderful friendship during these few months, and she graciously offered to go to the orphanage to shoot some footage for my video presentation. Once she finished her own project on Thursday, she did just that. She made her way to Kajjansi with, not only her video gear, but also baby blankets (that her friends had made) toys and candy! She promised to get some pictures of some of the kids who have become pen pals, as well as those who are benefiting from the Change the Truth school fee grants.

I knew she was trekking to St. Mary Kevin’s on Friday and couldn’t wait to hear from her on Saturday. I don’t think she’ll mind if I share her letter. She had already become such an enthusiastic supporter of Change the Truth, but now I know she is definitely smitten with the children she met at the orphanage! Thank you, Susan, for all your help.

“Saturday, February 17, 2007

I spent the entire day with the children and staff of St. Mary Kevin Orphanage. These are the children who will benefit from Gloria Baker Feinstein's Change the Truth Fund. As much as I don't want to sound like a public service announcement, I must say - each year we consider various organizations to give our money to. This year, we'll be sending to Change the Truth.




The above picture is of the older boys from the orphanage - some of whom are benefiting from Change the Truth. The young man second from left is Edward Male, the young man in the middle is Henry Semanda (my husband Alfredo’s pen pal) and the young man on the far right is Emma Vincent.

These young men and young women - danced and sang for me for an hour - it was unbelievable. In all that joy and excitement - you forget the conditions that many of these kids came from. I was lucky to interview a few of the boys. Emma Vincent stood out to me - he was on the street at a very early age - but was picked up by Rosemary when he was 8 - he's been at the orphanage since - he is now 14. He is soft spoken, very articulate, and an incredible dancer and singer. I was also able to interview Henry - he was sooooo nervous but so excited to read the letter that Alfredo had sent. He wants to grow up and be an electrician - it was so sweet!

I also met with the young children who were recently brought to the orphanage. They come from all different backgrounds and places and they've seen so much in their short lives. I will never know their struggles or understand them. However, I do know that in order for the orphanage to continue to provide beds, food, schooling, and love to these children they need an enormous amount of help.

My experience at the orphanage was an eye opener - how is it that so many have nothing.”

success. part two

One day seven years ago a mother handed her infant to the folks at Operation Breakthrough and said, “If you don’t keep him for me, something bad is going to happen to him.” She said in a note that she’d be back in three weeks to get him. That mother did not return, and the boy ended up being adopted by a single woman in her 20s who fell in love with him while helping care for him at the center. This exuberant, fun loving and endearing child loves super heroes and usually becomes one each evening as he flies around the house in full Batman, Superman or Spiderman attire. He’s one of the success stories we’re featuring in the video.

sleep walking

Sometimes it feels like Africa was just a dream. The longer I am back, the further from my reality it seems. Lucky for me that I am still sifting through images and am heavily involved in raising awareness and money for the orphanage.

The more it feels like a dream, the more I am drawn to images like this one, another that was previously overlooked.

a glaring omission at the grammys

If you want to catch a really good singer-songwriter duo, one that should have been front and center at the Grammys last night (come on... I am their mother, after all) and if you’re going to be in or anywhere near New Orleans on Lundi Gras, head over to the Neutral Ground Coffeehouse. At 8 PM the group formerly known as “The Coupons” now doing business as “The Odd Ducks” but mostly just called “Sam and Abbie” will take the stage. They perform a bunch of original stuff and also cover people like Lucinda Williams, Radiohead, Gillian Welch, John Prine, the Be Good Tanyas and Martin Sexton.

Abbie and Sam have been singing together since they met in college. Their voices weave a luxurious harmony. Sam plays a mean guitar; Abbie plays the bass for a couple of numbers. I don’t think you could find a better way to spend the evening next Monday in New Orleans. Tell them "G-Lo" sent you!

leopold gallery exhibition

Many have asked if I am still represented by Dolphin in Kansas City. Yes. I have been with them for nine years now, and I treasure the wonderful relationship I have with John and Emily. They have been steady supporters of my work and have become good friends, as well. (They recently placed five oversized shredded pieces in the offices of a midtown ad agency, which was exciting for all of us!) Dolphin has always been the gathering place for artists and collectors - in fact, they are the centerpiece of the Crossroads art district. I am honored to be part of the Dolphin family.

Last fall, I was asked by the Leopold Gallery to join its stable. Leopold has been in south Kansas City for fourteen years and has established a solid reputation as a promoter of regional artists. Paul, the director, has an unwavering belief in Midwest talent and has done quite an admirable job of placing work in important corporate and individual collections. I was able to work it out so that my photographs can be shown and sold at both galleries. Dolphin will probably place more emphasis on the older work and on the Shredding Project, while Leopold is very interested in the images from Uganda, as well as from Convergence. It feels like a really nice arrangement.

The Uganda exhibit is set to open on April 27th and will be the first show in Leopold's new space. For those of you who know Kansas City, the gallery will be in what is currently Latin American Imports in Brookside. The opening is going to be a lot of fun. I have asked the adorable and dedicated young African drummers and dancers from Operation Breakthrough to perform a couple of sets during the course of the evening. We will be offering for sale beaded jewelry made by the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood. We'll be playing the CD of songs the children sang for me when I was at the orphanage. There will be about thirty 13.5" x 19" ink jet prints in the show, as well as three oversized prints - 26" x 39". I just framed one of the latter to 40" x 52" and I have to admit I am blown away by its presence and impact. Twenty percent of all print sales will go directly to the Change the Truth fund. If you are a follower of the blog and are not on my snail mail list, please e-mail me your address so I can make sure you receive an invite to the opening.

What's really exciting for me is not only that I get to show the work and am beginning a relationship with a new gallery, but that I will be bringing together Operation Breakthrough and St. Mary Kevin's on some level... two groups that mean so much to me - that are worlds apart, yet so closely related.

editing process

I made a few images in Africa that are just now starting to have some meaning for me. It’s funny how that happens - I’ll make a picture before I come to fully understand why. It’s as if part of my brain, the working part, says, here consider this, but the thinking part has to wait a while before trying to understand why.

And so, in the process of selecting work for the April exhibition, I have come to discover an image here and there that was overlooked during the first bazillion edits. Perhaps my mood has shifted, or my perspective, or maybe it’s that my comfort level with the work has broadened. At any rate, there is a certain power in this photograph of a female boxer that I am ready to acknowledge (and appreciate) now.

one more...

Another image for the "expressions" wall. Yesterday I learned that beneath each photo, which will be installed low on the wall so that the kids can see them well, will be the word describing the feeling being expressed, as well as a mirror. This way, the children can "practice" making the expressions and see how they look on their own faces. I thought that was a very cool idea.

express yourself

There are so many benefits to doing work at Operation Breakthrough. One of them is getting the joyous opportunity to walk around the center and photograph children just being children. The social workers in the play therapy area have asked me to do a series on “expressions”. These photographs will be used to help kids learn to articulate their feelings. This is one of my favorites.

letters from edward and vincent

“My name is Edward and I am aged 15 yrs old; I grew up with both my father and mother in Masaka Town, southern Uganda. I have a young brother and little sister. Our parents died of AIDS when I was 12 yrs old. Father died first and Mother followed a few months later.

We had no one to take care of us and this slowed our education. But we were later taken to Kampala and joined a new home where we found other children. It is called St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood. My brother and sister are still in primary school but I joined secondary school last year and thanks to Uncle Michael, Director, and the people from Change the Truth Fund who are helping with my school fees. I hope to study well and become a doctor. It’s nice that I have friends in such a big country like America and I hope to hear from you.”

*******

“My name is Vincent Emma. I am now 14 yrs old, my parents died of AIDS a few years ago. I went on to live with some relatives but life was difficult and I went to streets. I spent almost one year learning to survive on the streets till I met a kind lady called Madam Angela who took me to a new home. I met other children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood and the director Rosemary. I joined primary school again and thank God I passed my primary leaving examinations. I am now due to join senior two and Madam Gloria and other friends from Change the Truth Fund are organizing to assist me with the school fees.

I am happy that I have a new friend from USA called Lee.”

*******

These are letters I just received from two more of the children from the orphanage who will now be attending school thanks to the generosity of the supporters of the Change the Truth fund. If you are new to the blog, please know that we are accepting donations on an ongoing basis, as there are more school terms, more children to support and much work to be done. If you click on the Donate Now link, you'll see how easy it is to join others who are making the commitment to help these kids. Also, many pen pals relationships have begun! All the names given to me in the first round have been spoken for, but Michael, director of the orhpanage, has assured me that more names are coming. If you - or your children - would like to begin developing a friendship with one of the children at St. Mary Kevin's please email me: gbfeinstein@aol.com. I have a feeling that these relationships will open eyes on both sides of the world.

john prine

Few can compare to the great John Prine - brilliant singer, songwriter and even at age 61, still quite the rockabilly rocker. Eddie and I were eating out of the palm of Prine’s hand last night, as we do at everyone of his concerts. He treated the sold out crowd at the Uptown Theatre to over two hours of his signature work: Sam Stone, Hello in There, Grandpa Was a Carpenter, It’s a Big Old Goofy World, Lake Marie, Souvenirs, Angel From Montgomery, Donald and Lydia, Illegal Smile, Taking a Walk, She is My Everything, Dear Abby, Fish and Whistle, well, the list goes on and on. His writing skills never cease to amaze me. These are poignant, sad, humorous and sober songs about the everyday loves, dreams and devastating losses of ordinary people. If you have never heard him in concert, just do it one of these days. If you’re lucky, he’ll bring along one of his fellow singer songwriters, usually one of the female persuasion, who joins him onstage for some of his dreamy duets. Last night, he had Maura O’Connell in tow. You’d be in for a special treat, as we were a couple of years ago, if Iris DeMent stood at his side.

We first saw John Prine back in 1975, when we lived in Madison, Wisconsin. Going to concerts was a way of life for us back then. And everyone who was anyone included Madtown on their tour. I used to shoot for the Univeristy of Wisconsin daily, so I had a press badge. This entitled me to get up close and personal with most of the musicians, meaning either a good spot for shooting during the show and/or a backstage pass. Trust me, it was a pretty wild time. A lot of fun.

Anyhow, I have a stash of negs dating back to 1975 of everyone from Dylan, CSN&Y, Bette Midler, Neil Young, Jethro Tull, Joni Mitchell, The Allman Brothers, Loggins and Messina to John Denver, Jim Croce, Tom Waits, Leon Russell , Taj Mahal and Leo Kotke. I printed up one of Neil Yound recently and actually sold it on e-bay for a hundred bucks to some guy who claimed I was the next Henry Diltz (whoever that is).



I think this shot of John Prine was from the first time we ever attended one his performances - September, 1975. He certainly had a lot more hair and was much skinnier than he is now, but, let me tell you, his unique voice has aged like a good bottle of Scotch.

anniversary

My parents were married 61 years ago today. If my mom was still alive, she and Dad would have probably gone out to dinner tonight, and we would have sent wine and flowers.

This is a piece from my Shredding Project. It is my parents at the beach in the early 60's.

They knew each other since they were teenagers and set a shining example about love for all of their children and grandchildren.

Happy Anniversary, M & D.

a wonderful morning

I spent the morning with Shawna and her son, Salvation. She is the woman who wrote me just a few days ago about having recently adopted a son from Kajjansi, Uganda, which is, incredibly, the same town where St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood is located.

Salvation is a smart, articulate, engaging, curious and beautiful young man. At thirteen, he has seen more trials and tribulations than I probably ever will. He seems amazingly well adjusted to his new life here in America and so clearly adores his new mom. They met while Shawna was on a mission trip to Uganda last summer. She told me this morning that during the four weeks she stayed at the orphanage where Salvation lived, a place called Mercy Home, the fact the she was meant to be his mother unfolded quickly (and unexpectedly) before her very eyes. Of course, getting him here was another, more complicated story, but she was determined – and she succeeded in October, 2006. Since then, he has picked up English at a fast and furious pace, has made many friends in his seventh grade class and has been accepted with open arms by his three siblings. His favorite subject in school is art, and his mother tells me he is really something when it comes to sculpting with clay. He also loves music, especially the drums. I brought him to our house to meet Max, my mad drummer son, and the two of them had a blast playing around together on the drum set. I think he could have sat on that throne (isn’t it something that drummers have dubbed their seat a throne?) all afternoon! Max said Salvation’s entire face completely lit up when he took the sticks in hand, and the smile never left his face the whole time he was playing.

I showed Salvation my pictures from St. Mary Kevin’s. He lived there for two years before going to Mercy Home. He kept calling out the names of kids and teachers he knew. He recognized the place where he used to help cook dinner, the machines he used to make bricks, and the fields where he laid them out to dry in the sun. He even knew my little friend Sonja, my constant companion while wandering around making pictures.

Needless to say, we have made a couple of new friends. It was a moving experience listening to Salvation tell his story, and watching the way his mom, Shawna, beamed as she looked in his direction.

success

It’s such a relative term.

These days I am working on a project for the largest provider of day care in Missouri catering to those living in poverty. It’s a special place called Operation Breakthrough. Over six hundred kids burst through its doors every morning eager to take advantage of opportunities to develop to their fullest potential in a safe, loving and educational environment. Operation Breakthrough also strives to support and empower the children’s families through advocacy, referral services and emergency aid. Most of these children have only one parent, many are homeless. Countless come from a world filled with addiction, abuse, and violent death. Operation Breakthrough grants them their best shot at survival and success.

Our goal with this photographic project is to highlight some of the success stories.

This includes a four-year girl who is anorexic. She choked as an infant and developed a fear of eating. Now she’s beginning to eat and thrive, just like a four year old is supposed to do.

This includes a little girl who began life living with her mother in an abandoned building. They lived there for the first couple of years of her life. She was kept in an infant seat and was not walking even at the age of eighteen months. Now she’s running all over the place.

This also includes a young woman who has just begun her freshman year in college. She witnessed the murder of her sister by her mother’s boyfriend when she was just six years old. Her brother was gunned down while walking home from school just two years ago. She was given over to foster care at a young age; she was taken in by a few saints along the way. This optimistic and bright young woman knows the hallways of Operation Breakthrough like the back of her hand. She is now attending freshman English class, studying Sociology and Psychology, eating burgers in the cafeteria with friends and aspiring to become a nurse.

Featured also in the project is a little boy who suffers from microcephaly. His teenage mom can’t possibly hold him all day or deal with his constant fretting and crying. He probably shouldn’t have made it this far, but at one year old, this cutie is also considered a success.

As I said, it’s all relative.

For me, it’s a project that is both heart breaking and downright uplifting.

what are the chances indeed?

I had to reread this email several times to make sure it was real. This is an unbelievable coincidence, and I am looking forward to getting together with Shawna and her son this weekend!

“My name is Shawna and I live in Lee's Summit, Mo. I am a secretary at an elementary school. A co-worker gave me a UMKC publication, New Letters, to look at because I had just returned from Africa in October with a 13-year-old boy who we are adopting. My son's name is Salvation Joseph and he is from an orphanage in Kajjansi. He has attended St. Mary Kevin and knows some of the children who are there.

What are the chances that my co-worker has this book and that there are pictures from Kajjansi and then to find out that our new son knows some friends? I had no choice but to write and say hi and to introduce myself!! Especially after reading your web site and your thoughts of the kids in Kajjansi and what their reaction to snow would be!!! I can tell you that my son ran outside with his short sleeve shirt on to be able to feel the weight of the snow on his skin. It was like a blind person seeing for the first time. He loved sledding and he loves being cold and feeling the cold air. He tells me, 'Mom, I like being cold. I have been hot my whole life.' He is the most remarkable child (a mom bragging). I have three birth children who are also remarkable in that they have opened their lives, hearts and arms and embraced him into the family fold.

My story of how I got to know Africa and Kajjansi and now have a 13-year-old son from this country is a story I would love to share with you.

I look forward to hearing from you and exchanging how our lives changed in a small village in Kajjansi, Uganda.”

a letter from gloria babirye, one of our sponsored students

"I am called Gloria. I lost my mother when I was still young and I never saw my father since child hood. When my mother died, I was taken to my grandmother and during time I was not studying.

The local council chairman one time came to our home and told my grandmother about St. Mary Kevin Orphanage. He took me there and I was accepted to start studying and staying at the orphanage in Primary Five.

When I completed Primary Seven, I had to start Senior One. The director and uncle Michael looked for me a senior school near the orphanage but this senior school could not understand my problem, they used to chase me out of class because of fees.

It was one evening when the orphanage manager Michael called us and gave us good news that there is no more chasing us out of class, that there is an organization called Change the Truth who is going to start sponsoring us. I got so happy; I cannot believe that I am like other children now, I can get shelter food and education."

My friends, this is what it's all about. Thank you.

pen pal letter

"Hello. I am twelve years old. I am about five feet tall and weigh about 88 pounds. I have hazel eyes and brownish hair. I have lots of hobbies. Some are the following: Beatles, stars, horses, horse racing, basketball, soccer, going to dances, climbing trees and playing with my little sister. I like to eat, if it is something I like. I eat lots of sweets, which I should try to get away from. I used to chew lots of bubblegum, but when I got 5 cavities I cut down on it. I love to sleep late in the morning. I love to collect stuffed animals and I sleep with them, no matter how big or small. I love television. That is how I waste all my time when there is nothing to do. I like to cook, especially cakes, breakfasts and cookies. I love to baby-sit with younger kids, which I am not yet old enough to do. I have about 10 little friends who love it when I come to play with them. I really can’t wait for when I’m old enough to baby-sit. I love to collect Beatle pictures and listen to their songs. I love any rock and roll groups and will take almost anybodys picture to put on my door. I love sports. Basketball, soccer, swimming and football are my favorites. I forgot to add track. I love to compete against others while running 600 yards or something like that. I also love to camp out. Camp is a blast too, because we canoe, campout, cook and sleep with all the wildernessy things. By the way, I love animals, too. Mostly cute, little ones, such as puppies, chicks, kittens. I like school. It’s pretty much fun after you get to know everybody and learn how the day runs. I make pretty good grades and make lots of friends at school. Well, I think that I have said enough about myself, so…… what’s your name?"

With all the talk lately about the pen pals from Uganda, someone asked me recently if I had a pen pal when I was younger. Apparently I wanted one. This letter was written by me in 1966, but never mailed.

bye-bye scp

In 1984, a bunch of photography enthusiasts gathered on a monthly basis in the basement of a Kansas City doctor - a photo collector and founder of the group - to hammer out the mission and goals for a fledgling organization called the Society for Contemporary Photography. We were a glorified camera club at first. SCP grew into a downtown gallery space and started having exhibitions of local and regional photographers, then grew in to a larger space and started having shows by nationally known photo-based artists. SCP sponsored the well respected and highly anticipated annual juried show, “Current Works”, featuring internationally recognized curators as its jurors and important works by emerging photographers in its exhibitons.

As of mid-February, SCP will be no more.

Kathy Aron Dowell, the current director and curator, announced today: “When the SCP began, most established institutions and galleries did not accept photography as a ‘viable’ fine art medium. Our mission was clear. Since that time, the photographic community has accomplished a great deal, and we now find photography exhibits and educational opportunities flourishing around the globe. Of course, this is good news for photography, but it also means that photo-centric organizations like SCP face funding challenges alongside institutions with much larger development, staffing and/or Board resources.”

Is this a case of “be careful what you wish for”?

Luckily for Kansas City, we have the Nelson-Atkins Museum, and we have Keith Davis. Since the Hallmark Photographic Collection was acquired by the museum and Keith was kept at the helm, this city will finally get the recognition it deserves for its significant photography holdings, as well its curator who is easily one of the most well respected and knowledgeable photo historians in the country (also a very nice guy).

I guess it was a good run. Twenty-three years. I guess, too, that none of us in Tony’s basement back in those early days could ever have imagined what SCP would eventually become. It does sound kind of unimaginable that photography was not considered a “viable fine art medium.” We’ve come a long way.

good news!

The Change the Truth fund has made its first grant. Six children who cannot afford secondary school tuition will share our initial gift. These young people, who range in age from 13 to 15 years old, are:

Shamim Nambatya
Florence Namaganda
Edward Male
Vincent Emma
Henry Ssemanda
Gloria Babirye

The fees for secondary school in the Kampala area are $95.00 per term, and there are three terms per school year. These kids want to beat the odds that are stacked against them and are so happy that we’ll be able help them fulfill their dreams. I hope to be able to post something on the blog written by these six students in the near future. You will realize then just how excited and appreciative these girls and boys are.

There are many more at the orphanage who would like to further their education once they have finished their classes at St. Mary Kevin’s. For the younger kids, there are books to buy and classroom supplies to provide. On a more basic level, there are bed sheets that are needed for comfort at night, food and clothing that are needed just to get through the day. There is much more for us to do. If you have not already done so, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the fund. Make your check payable to the Change the Truth Fund and mail it to the Jewish Community Foundation, 5801 West 115th Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66211. It takes just a little to help a lot.

Thanks.

enough already

Kansas City was hit hard with ice and then snow, and I, for one, am ready for spring. Eddie fell on the ice while fetching our newspaper early in the morning and broke his shoulder. Surgery seems to be on the agenda for the immediate future, followed by physical therapy. Snow days were fun when we were really young.

a very cool kid

I have a young friend - he's 14 - who's a very good artist and also a very good soul. His name is Lee. He and his younger brother, Paul, started a a collection for the children at St. Mary Kevin's as soon as they heard about my trip to Uganda and the Change the Truth Fund. The collection depository took the form of a mason jar. It was placed in the family room on top of the t.v. and everyone in the family has been encouraged to drop in their change at the end of the day. Well, all these days later, the jar holds $84.48, which Lee has just presented to me.


Here's Lee, in his own words:

"I am surprised at how much money we raised. I never missed any of the money that went in to the jar. I don't think that anyone really misses the money. This cause is also very easy to give to. I know that in the "real world" $84 isn't that much money, but for this organization it can help a lot. I will continue to put money in the jar and I hope the best for Gloria and what she is doing."

buyingi

Elizabeth took this picture while we workshop students were in the village of Buyingi in the distict of Rakai. It just found its way to me yesterday. I love it. It immediately takes me back to the feelings of pure joy the children had upon seeing one of us "mazungu" walk down the road. The kids just ran up and grabbed a hand, a finger, an arm, whatever was available, or just skipped alongside. It's hard to describe how utterly wonderful this can make you feel. At least, that's how it made ME feel. I can't help looking at this and just smiling. I also can't help looking at this and trying to figure out how soon I can return to Africa.

a dream i had

Does a photograph tell the whole story? Or does it just reveal a slice of a truth that is revealing itself to the photographer at that particular instant? Maybe it’s not a truth at all; instead a mixture of the photographer’s perceptions, projections and ideals. It’s easy to look at a photo and believe it, and believe that the photographer was simply trying to capture or describe a moment. But when you think about it, about all the choices that have to be made before, during and after a picture is taken, all the complexities that define the person taking the picture, and the relationship of that person to the subject being photographed, it becomes possible to imagine that a photograph is actually a statement about who the photographer is.

I had a dream last night that I had to spend the day walking through my world with a huge assembly of other shooters. And it wasn’t just a normal day. At every turn, at every moment, there was a glorious photographic opportunity. In the dream, we whipped out our cameras in unison and began to record the incredible scenes and people that were unfolding before our disbelieving eyes. The light was perfect, too. No one spoke – there was no chatter about shutter speeds, ISO ratings, or even mega pixels. It was eerily calm as this throng of photographers quietly and thoughtfully made personal decisions about framing, whether to focus or not, whether to shoot from above or below, to tilt the camera or keep it straight, to use a flash or natural light - things like that (not to mention whether or not to give directions to the subject). We were men and women from different parts of the world, old and young, many different colors and religions, rich and poor. I found myself getting frustrated, and I finally put my camera away.

I guess I was afraid that my photographs would ultimately look like everyone else’s.

But when I awoke in a sweat, I had to remind myself that that’s not really possible. We each see things through our own set of lenses. And these are colored by our own struggles, pain, conflicts and joys. The good news about this seemingly tortured dream is that every photo taken by this collection of shooters would have been different. The variations may have been small, perhaps even difficult to detect. But they would have been meaningful, and they would, in the end, tell a story about who was positioned behind the camera. Maybe that’s really what the “whole story” is all about.

Finding one’s voice as an artist is hard.

It’s also what makes doing this, day after day, an exhilarating process of self-discovery.

a blog to bookmark

Photographers seeking opportunities to exhibit or publish work should definitely bookmark Mary Virginia Swanson's blog. Many of you probably know her and understand how invaluable her information is; now that she has a blog, the lists of opportunities are revised on a daily basis and provide a comprehensive view of what's going on.

change the truth update

Good things continue to happen! The Change the Truth fund has grown to the point that we are ready to make our first contributions to St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood. I asked Michael to send me the names of six students who are ready to begin or continue secondary school (this level involves kids who are 12 – 16 years old) but cannot afford the fees. He has given me their names, along with a commitment to following their progress and keeping us abreast of their situations. We will make our first grants, thanks to the generosity of you, the readers of this blog. You are to be congratulated. This is an accomplishment I never dreamt would happen quite this soon! I am extremely grateful for your interest in and enthusiastic support of this project. You and I can only imagine the excitement and hope that these six children will feel because we simply got together and decided to change their truth. I only hope that many, many more children will benefit as we move ahead.

I am busy printing the photographs for the April exhibition. The show will open on April 27th at the Leopold Gallery, which has just announced that it will be relocating to the Brookside area of Kansas City. I am thrilled that the show will be in my own beloved neighborhood. We are planning a wonderful opening reception, including a performance by a local group of African drummers and the sale of beaded jewelry made by the children of St. Mary Kevin’s. A portion of the proceeds of all print sales are already committed to the Change the Truth Fund.

Susan, a filmmaker from Minneapolis, is headed to Uganda in three weeks and has graciously committed to spending a day at St. Mary Kevin’s to create some footage of the grounds, the children, the teachers, etc. for use in the fund raising presentation I’ll be putting together this spring. She will also take pictures of the children who have become pen pals to many of you. I’ll be sure to get those to you pen pal correspondents in late February! She will also take pictures of and speak with the children we’ll be sending to secondary school. I think it will be nice for us all to be able to see these children’s faces and to hear their stories. I think that what you will find so inspiring about them is that what they want, more than anything, more than an electronic gizmo, more than a car and more than cool clothes is a clean, pressed uniform, some books and the opportunity to learn.

Please consider sharing information about Change the Truth with someone you know who might be interested in learning more about the orphanage and how to help out.