My
good friend and fellow CTT board member Carol, who has traveled to Uganda several
times now, was the person responsible for getting me the exhibition/fundraiser
in New York. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude. It was an amazing opportunity
for this Kentucky/Kansas City girl.
The Mayson Gallery is on the lower east side in an area where galleries are starting to pop up all over the place. The space is small, but they managed to install over thirty-four photographs on the top floor.
On the basement level, there were several paintings by the kids from the orphanage, as well as two large prints of mine. The kids’ pieces were sold in a small, but fiercely competitive silent auction. There was also a small version of the Kajjansi Marketplace, where Ugandan crafts and my books were sold.
The
opening was from 6 – 8 PM. Over the course of the evening, there was a steady
stream of people coming to see the show. Most of these folks I did not know,
but a highlight of my evening was seeing some of my photo pals (some of whom I
had not seen in years) and meeting someone with whom I’ve corresponded but
never laid eyes on before!
Monika
Merva (who I first met at an Andrea Modica workshop in Santa Fe) was there. So
was Brian Riesinger (we met at Thatcher Cook’s workshop in Uganda) and Susan Tannenbaum
(Mary Ellen Mark’s workshop in Oaxaca was where we first met). Fellow University of Wisconsin photo
student Cynthia Bittenfield came by, as well. Then there was Kate Fridkis, the
wonderful young blogger for whom I did the “women eating cake” photos. (She
writes two blogs, one of which explores womens’ body image issues and is called
“Eat the Damn Cake.” She and I are now plotting another collaboration!)
Some
awesome cousins, some non-photo (but very dear) pals, some friends of friends, a
couple of past CTT team members and lots of new acquaintances helped round out
what was a spectacular night for me in my journey as a photographer/non-profit
director.
Thanks
to all of you who stopped by to see the exhibit. Your friendship and support of
my work mean the world to me. Thanks to gallery owner and director Susan and
Ronni. And most especially, thank you to Carol Joseph, someone who has believed
in me as a photographer and humanitarian from the very beginning.
The
exhibit will remain at the Mayson Gallery, 254 Broome Street, for approximately
two more weeks. Hopefully there will be lots of sales, because this is a
fundraiser for Change the Truth.
I
took the installation shots. The photos from the opening were taken by Susan Rae Tannenbaum. Enjoy!
