Blue Earth is hosting our sixth-annual lottery-style fundraiser on September 30, 2010 at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture.

In addition to an exciting lottery and gourmet dinner, we are pleased to present special auctions featuring rare photographs from three world-class photographers: Phil Borges, Subhankar Banerjee, and Daniel Beltrá.

All attendees at the Blue Earth lottery are eligible to bid on any of these three rare, stunning framed works of art.

Palden, #4 of a limited edition of 40 by Phil Borges. Toned silver gelatin print, Shadow box framed at 23″ x27″. Retail Value $2,500

For over 25 years Phil Borges has been visiting and documenting indigenous and tribal cultures around the world. His award winning books have been published in four languages and his photographs have been collected and exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.

Bear Den II, 6/29, by Subhankar Banerjee. 31″ x 41″. Retail Value $8,000

Subhankar Banerjee’s ongoing collaboration with Gwich’in and Inupiat communities of Alaska and the Canadian Yukon focus on a tradition of sustainable land use practices that are disappearing rapidly from industrialized societies. Subhankar’s photographic documentation includes several regions of the American Artic, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Kasegaluk Lagoon, and the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

Amazon Drought, 2005, #2 of a limited edition of 15 by Daniel Beltrá. Digital pigment print. 24″ x 35″. Retail Value $3,000

Daniel Beltrá brings the sensibility and craft of a news photographer to the fields of nature and the environment, making images which he hopes will spur greater respect and conservation of those subjects. Daniel has received awards from the World Press Photo (WPP) and China International Press Photo contests for his work on drought in the Amazon. He was also awarded the Prince’s Rainforest Project Award given via the Sony World Photography Awards in April 2009.

Join us for the Blue Earth Lottery, an evening filled with fine art photography, gourmet food, and delicious wine, and take home a print donated by one of our world-class photographers.

Every lottery ticket holder is guaranteed a print for their collection.

Don’t miss the fun at our annual fundraiser gala! Seating is very limited. Order your lottery tickets today.

What’s better than an evening filled with fine art photography, gourmet food, and delicious wine?  Being able to take home a print donated by one of our world-class photographers like Phil Borges and Subhankar Banerjee!  Unlike auctions, every ticket holder is guaranteed a print for their collection.

Join the fun Sept. 30, 2010, 6 p.m. at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture at our annual fundraiser gala!

Seating is limited.  Order your lottery tickets today!

Blue Earth project photographer Greg Constantine has just opened a new exhibit at The Go Down Arts Centre in Nairobi, Kenya featuring new work from his project Nowhere People.

Kenya’s Nubians: Then & Now is the first exhibition in Africa for photographer Greg Constantine (USA, b. 1970).  The Nubian community has lived in Kenya for over 100 years.  Brought to Kenya by the British in the late 1800s, Nubians served for the British in the King’s African Rifles during WWI and WWII and were vital in the development of East Africa.  Unable to return to their homeland, the British designated over 4000 acres of land for the Nubians and their families to settle on.  The Nubians named the land, Kibra or ‘land of forest’.  After Kenyan Independence, the Nubian community has historically been denied recognition and has been one of Kenya’s most invisible and under-represented communities.  Over the past 40 years, hundreds of thousands of rural migrants have flooded into Nairobi in search of work and Kibra has been the land where they’ve been encouraged to settle.  Eventually the Nubian settlement of Kibra would turn into Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa.

Kenya’s Nubians: Then & Now combines rare, historical photographs of the Nubian community in Kenya with Constantine’s own work on the community’s struggle for recognition.  The exhibition aims to promote the dynamic and rich heritage of a community few in Kenya are aware of, and it intends to help tell the story of one of Kenya’s communities who, as one Nubian elder described is, “being squeezed into extinction.”

The exhibit runs through August 14, 2010 and will be accompanied by an outdoor exhibition/installation in the Kibera slum (outside Nairobi) from August 13-15.  After Kenya, the exhibit will travel to London - keep an eye out for details.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Save the date!  Blue Earth’s 2010 Lottery will be held Sept. 30th, 2010 at the beautiful University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture.  Join us for an evening of great food, wine and music, and the opportunity to take home a piece of fine art photography donated by world-class photographers through a fun and exciting lottery system.

Tickets sales will open here soon.  Lottery tickets are always very limited and always sell quickly, so keep an eye out - we’ll be making an announcement shortly.

In case you can’t make his exhibit at the Museum Of New Art, Blue Earth project photographer Jeffrey Sauger will open a new exhibit at the Jack Hanley Gallery.  The exhibit features work from his project Where Furrows Run Deep, documenting the plight of African American farmers in the rural South.

The exhibit runs July 6-30th, 2010 at the Jack Hanley Gallery, New York (136 Watts).  If you will be in New York, be sure not to miss the show!

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

In Goma, DR Congo, on Feb. 4 2009. Children arrive at a temporary resting place before being reunited with their families by the ICRC. Ozias Kambale Pimo, 11 from Kiwanja speaks about whether his parents are still alive. (c) Ron Haviv

The Seattle Center’s Harrison Street Gallery is hosting Our World at War: Photojournalism Beyond the Front Lines, an exhibit sponsored by the American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties and Seattle Center Productions.

The exhibit offers a unique and first-hand look at what war and armed violence do to people’s lives - from the heartbreaking loneliness of an elderly woman made homeless by last year’s war between Georgia and Russia to the unbridled joy of two brothers reunited after being separated by fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Forty unforgettable images of war-torn Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, and the Philippines by renowned war photographers Ron Haviv, James Nachtwey, Antonin Kratochvil, Franco Pagetti and Christopher Morris will be on display.

The Our World at War exhibit opens June 26 at the Seattle Center’s Harrison Street Gallery, 305 Harrison Street, and runs through August 15.  Free and open to the public, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Seattle photographer Adam Weintraub, former president and board member of Blue Earth, is hosting a launch event for his newly published book Vista Andina: A photographic Perspective on Contemporary Life in the Andes.

Vista Andina is a personal look at Cusco behind the tourist or the postcard version. It is an edgy, atmospheric and authentic illustration of the region’s people and their character… Vista Andina was created to complement our understanding of Cusco; to help reinforce that Cusco is not just about Machu Picchu and the ruins around the Sacred Valley. It is an energetic and charismatic place with a proud and diverse people.

The reception, with Pisco cocktail, wine and hors d’oeuvres, will be Wednesday June 9th, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave in Seattle.  If you are in town, be sure not to miss it!

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

© Jon Orlando

Check your calendar! This week Blue Earth is hosting photographer Jon Orlando presenting “Warriors for Peace: Stories of Resistance and Renewal,” the fourth in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues. Orlando will be speaking in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum this Saturday, May 15 at 2 p.m.

In Warriors for Peace, Jon Orlando brings forth the stories and emotions of the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are resisting war and working for peace. Through compelling portraits, a multi-media piece, and the retelling of the stories he has gathered, Jon will help us not only understand why veterans are speaking out, but will also re-introduce a sense of humanity into our collective dialogue around who we perceive soldiers to be. Too often in our culture we see soldiers as devoid of a sense of humanity, and absent emotions or morals that might conflict with their mission, leaving them simply as instruments that fight for our freedoms and protections. Jon’s presentation will ask the viewer to challenge that perception. Also involved in his presentation will be veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who will come to share their stories in person.

Jon Orlando is an artist-activist who uses photography to deepen our collective sense of humanity. After graduating with a degree in photography from Northern Arizona University, Jon spent 4 years as an organizer and activist on various social and political issues both regionally and nationally. Since moving to Colorado in 2005 he has re-immersed himself in photography while staying firmly rooted in efforts to create change.

Jon is an emerging artist whose work and efforts are motivated by a deep compassion for the world around him. His current project, Warriors for Peace, was recently accepted by Blue Earth and images from the series have been exhibited in group shows throughout the U.S. He is currently working on forming partnerships and alliances to distribute the project to audiences around the country. In addition he completes photographic projects for NGO’s, and editorial and commercial clients.

Tickets available at the door. Free to Blue Earth and Frye members as well as currently serving and former military personnel; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with ID.

Is your membership up-to-date? Renew today and attend all events in the Blue Earth Lecture Series for free!

Group of three Pronghorn standing under the last rays of an orange setting sun.  Picture taken in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park.  © Florian Schulz

Happy Earth Day greetings from everyone here at Blue Earth!  But in addition to celebrating, maybe we can also take the time to get some work done.  Visit the Earth Day Network to find out about events across the globe and how you can get involved.

The best celebration is one that makes a difference!

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

© Benjamin Drummond & Sara Joy Steele

We are pleased to note that Benjamin Drummond & Sara Joy Steele’s Blue Earth project Facing Climate Change will be featured at the offices of SRG Partnership during the Living Future 2010 “UnConference for Deep Green Professionals” to be held in Seattle May 5-7, 2010.  They will be exhibiting with two other local artists Sara Osebold and Vaughn Bell.  If you are attending the conference, or just happen to be in the area, be sure not to miss the exhibit.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

© Jon Orlando

Blue Earth is proud to host photographer Jon Orlando presenting “Warriors for Peace: Stories of Resistance and Renewal,” the fourth in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues. Orlando will be speaking in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum on Saturday, May 15 at 2 p.m.

In Warriors for Peace, Jon Orlando brings forth the stories and emotions of the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are resisting war and working for peace. Through compelling portraits, a multi-media piece, and the retelling of the stories he has gathered, Jon will help us not only understand why veterans are speaking out, but will also re-introduce a sense of humanity into our collective dialogue around who we perceive soldiers to be. Too often in our culture we see soldiers as devoid of a sense of humanity, and absent emotions or morals that might conflict with their mission, leaving them simply as instruments that fight for our freedoms and protections. Jon’s presentation will ask the viewer to challenge that perception. Also involved in his presentation will be veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who will come to share their stories in person.

Jon Orlando is an artist-activist who uses photography to deepen our collective sense of humanity. After graduating with a degree in photography from Northern Arizona University, Jon spent 4 years as an organizer and activist on various social and political issues both regionally and nationally. Since moving to Colorado in 2005 he has re-immersed himself in photography while staying firmly rooted in efforts to create change.

Jon is an emerging artist whose work and efforts are motivated by a deep compassion for the world around him. His current project, Warriors for Peace, was recently accepted by Blue Earth and images from the series have been exhibited in group shows throughout the U.S. He is currently working on forming partnerships and alliances to distribute the project to audiences around the country. In addition he completes photographic projects for NGO’s, and editorial and commercial clients.

Tickets available at the door. Free to Blue Earth and Frye members as well as currently serving and former military personnel; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with ID.

Is your membership up-to-date? Renew today and attend all events in the Blue Earth Lecture Series for free!

As part of the Iris Nights lecture series, Blue Earth project photographer Daniel Beltrá will be speaking at The Annenberg Space for Photography on “The State of Tropical Rainforests.”

Tropical deforestation is responsible for a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions.  The economic forces of logging, mining and agricultural development destroy nearly 60 million square miles of virgin rainforests every year.  Native plants are made extinct before they are ever documented and indigenous peoples find their land ever more encroached upon.  Stopping, or at least slowing, tropical deforestation will mitigate the impact that global warming is already having on the planet.  Daniel hopes that the photos he produced for the PRP will help the public understand the environmental consequences of tropical deforestation.

Beltrá will be speaking in at the Space in Los Angeles on April 1 from 6:30-8 p.m.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

If you are in New York next week, Blue Earth project photographer Heather McClintock will be discussing her project The Innocent: Casualties of the Civil War in Northern Uganda at B & H’s Event Space on Tuesday March 16, 2010 from 1-3 p.m.

During her lecture, Heather will discuss the content of her work in Uganda, the history and personal stories of the people from Uganda that she photographed, as well as the responsibility that comes with taking on a long-term body of work and the advocacy it involves. She will talk about the compromises of publishing these types of images in a book, and the challenges of disseminating this subject matter as an “unknown photographer.”

While you are out shopping for a new lens, be sure to schedule time to hear about her amazing work from a first-hand perspective.

Register online with B & H to attend Heather’s presentation.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Iceberg © Stephen Harrison

Don’t forget!  Blue Earth is hosting photographer Stephen Harrison this week presenting “Eye: Forgot It Had A Brain,” the third in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues. Harrison will be speaking this coming weekend in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum on Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m.

“The limitations inherent in image making with camera and lens since 1839 are now gone,” according to Harrison. “Virtually any image capable of being visualized in the human imagination can today be implemented using a variety of tools. The camera is one of many. The inventions and discoveries made over the millennium by painters and sculptors are now relevant to constructing compelling images. In the midst of the dazzling array of images now flooding the world of art, profound technological advancements have been made in the neurosciences and related endeavors regarding that one single backstage organ called the brain. In literally the past ten years, our understanding of human brain and the visual cortex has been nothing less than spectacular. Like the Renaissance in the early 16th century, new exciting paradigms and questions are now emerging that have direct bearing on the visual arts: How can the scope of art and photography be expanded in lieu of these recent advancements? How are images represented in the brain? What vital neural processes influence the construction of meaning in visual images? What precisely is metaphor, and how does the process of conceptual mapping perform its invisible work in visual images? What does science have to say about the neural correlates of visual images that are interesting and transformative? This presentation will touch upon these topics as told by a seasoned and consummate photographer during his personal journey of image creation.”

Tickets available at the door. Free to Blue Earth and Frye members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with ID.

Is your membership up-to-date? Renew today and attend all events in the Blue Earth Lecture Series for free!

Blue Earth project photographer John Trotter is in San Francisco for his lecture at Mumm Napa this weekend and will also be making a presentation of some of his latest work at the San Francisco Exposure Gallery, 801 Howard (near the corner of 4th Street across from the Moscone Center) this evening at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 4th, 2010.  Trotter will be showing photos from No Agua, No Vida as well as from his “Burden of Memory” brain injury project.  The presentation is free and open to the public; if you are in the Bay Area tonight, be sure not to miss this opportunity to see his latest work.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

© John Trotter

The Ansel Adams Gallery and Blue Earth are proud to host an inspiring lecture series and photo exhibit featuring our dramatically changing planet titled “Changing Earth: Photographer’s Call to Action” at Mumm Napa Fine Art Photography Gallery through March 13, 2010.

The fourth in our Mumm Napa lecture series will feature “The Future of the Colorado River and the American Southwest,” a presentation by Blue Earth project photographer John Trotter on Saturday, March 6th 2010, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

“The Colorado’s modern notoriety… stems not from its wild rapids and plunging canyons but from the fact that it is the most legislated, most debated, and most litigated river in the entire world.” Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert

“What will the American Southwest look like when the great reservoirs storing Colorado River water are emptied by the combined effects of drought and overuse, a future, which now appears inevitable?,” asks John Trotter. “How dependent have we become on a model of endless growth that itself depends on a finite amount of water? In this presentation, we’ll view photos from the river’s headwaters to its desiccated delta for a glimpse of how we have reached this point.”

A native of Missouri, John Trotter worked as a newspaper photojournalist for fourteen years, on stories large and small, local and international. He photographed events ranging from local elections to national political conventions and covered United States military interventions in Panama, Somalia and Haiti. Some of his work from Somalia was part of a United Nations exhibition on that country’s massive famine in 1992. On March 24, 1997, while on assignment in Sacramento, California for The Sacramento Bee, he was nearly beaten to death by a half-dozen young men. During his long recovery from that attack he photographed Sierra Gates, a brain injury rehabilitation residence, where he himself had lived after his release from the hospital. Those photographs have been published and exhibited in Europe and the United States and a book of them is forthcoming. On the fourth anniversary of his attack, Trotter took the first pictures for his project on the enormous pressure of human development on the Colorado River, which is ongoing. He has lived in Brooklyn, New York, the Oakland of Manhattan, since 2000.

Mumm Napa Winery is located at 8445 Silverado Trail, Rutherford, CA 94573.  For directions call (707) 967-7700.  Visitor center and fine art photography gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.  Series lectures are free and open to the public, but please RSVP at (707) 967-7740 to guarantee seating.

We would like to thank SanDisk for sponsoring the lecture series and our friends at PhotoAlliance for generously helping to publicize the lectures.

Iceberg © Stephen Harrison

Blue Earth is proud to host photographer Stephen Harrison presenting “Eye: Forgot It Had A Brain,” the third in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues. Harrison will be speaking in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum on Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m.

“The limitations inherent in image making with camera and lens since 1839 are now gone,” according to Harrison. “Virtually any image capable of being visualized in the human imagination can today be implemented using a variety of tools. The camera is one of many. The inventions and discoveries made over the millennium by painters and sculptors are now relevant to constructing compelling images. In the midst of the dazzling array of images now flooding the world of art, profound technological advancements have been made in the neurosciences and related endeavors regarding that one single backstage organ called the brain. In literally the past ten years, our understanding of human brain and the visual cortex has been nothing less than spectacular. Like the Renaissance in the early 16th century, new exciting paradigms and questions are now emerging that have direct bearing on the visual arts: How can the scope of art and photography be expanded in lieu of these recent advancements? How are images represented in the brain? What vital neural processes influence the construction of meaning in visual images? What precisely is metaphor, and how does the process of conceptual mapping perform its invisible work in visual images? What does science have to say about the neural correlates of visual images that are interesting and transformative? This presentation will touch upon these topics as told by a seasoned and consummate photographer during his personal journey of image creation.”

Stephen Harrison, far from being retired, continues his lifelong intense involvement in photography and the fine arts. Harrison has a Ph.D. from Purdue University in engineering, a MA degree from Antioch University in psychology, and an M.D. from Yale University. He completed his psychiatric residence at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA. He trained in photography in the fine art department of both Purdue and the University of Illinois. By 1989, Harrison completed a Sanskrit to English translation of the Classical Indian text: “Bhagavad Gita.” He is the Author and photographer of the book: “Whispered Prayers: Portraits and Prose of Tibetans in Exile.” He has completed two films: one on Tibetans in Exile and a second based on the novel “Island of the Blue Dolphin” with an original score and music performed live by the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Tickets available at the door.  Free to Blue Earth and Frye members; $10 for non-members; $5 for students with ID.

Upcoming Lectures

Stephen Harrison - March 13, 2010
“The Brain Through The Eyes Of The Beholder: New Explorations in Art, Neuroscience and Cognition”

Jon Orlando - May 15, 2010
“Warriors for Peace: Stories of Resistance and Renewal”

Is your membership up-to-date?  Renew today and attend all events in the Blue Earth Lecture Series for free!

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, SC will be hosting an exhibit by Blue Earth photographer Heather McClintock featuring images from her project The Innocents: Casualties of the Civil War in Northern Uganda opening this week January 22, 2010 and running through March 13.

In conjunction with the exhibit, Halsey will also host a panel discussion, including Heather McClintock, Blue Earth board member Heather Dwyer, and other photographic experts to discuss “The Politics of Presentation: Finding a Venue for Challenging Documentary Projects” the following day on Saturday, January 23.

This panel will look at the challenges surrounding the dissemination of difficult imagery and explore exhibition venues, websites, and publishers’ perspectives.  Each panelist will give a brief overview of their organization’s engagement with challenging work, and share stories about how the organization has been able to persevere in this rarefied area.

If you are in the Charleston area, don’t miss this unique opportunity!

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Primordial Tree © Stephen Harrison

The Ansel Adams Gallery and Blue Earth are proud to host an inspiring lecture series and photo exhibit featuring our dramatically changing planet titled “Changing Earth: Photographer’s Call to Action” at Mumm Napa Fine Art Photography Gallery through March 13, 2010.

The third in our Mumm Napa lecture series will feature “Eye: Forgot It Had A Brain,” a presentation by Blue Earth project photographer Stephen Harrison on Saturday, Feb. 6th 2009, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

“The limitations inherent in image making with camera and lens since 1839 are now gone,” according to Harrison. “Virtually any image capable of being visualized in the human imagination can today be implemented using a variety of tools. The camera is one of many. The inventions and discoveries made over the millennium by painters and sculptors are now relevant to constructing compelling images. In the midst of the dazzling array of images now flooding the world of art, profound technological advancements have been made in the neurosciences and related endeavors regarding that one single backstage organ called the brain. In literally the past ten years, our understanding of human brain and the visual cortex has been nothing less than spectacular. Like the Renaissance in the early 16th century, new exciting paradigms and questions are now emerging that have direct bearing on the visual arts: How can the scope of art and photography be expanded in lieu of these recent advancements? How are images represented in the brain? What vital neural processes influence the construction of meaning in visual images? What precisely is metaphor, and how does the process of conceptual mapping perform its invisible work in visual images? What does science have to say about the neural correlates of visual images that are interesting and transformative? This presentation will touch upon these topics as told by a seasoned and consummate photographer during his personal journey of image creation.”

Stephen Harrison, far from being retired, continues his lifelong intense involvement in photography and the fine arts. Harrison has a Ph.D. from Purdue University in engineering, a MA degree from Antioch University in psychology, and an M.D. from Yale University. He completed his psychiatric residence at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA. He trained in photography in the fine art department of both Purdue and the University of Illinois. By 1989, Harrison completed a Sanskrit to English translation of the Classical Indian text: “Bhagavad Gita.” He is the Author and photographer of the book: “Whispered Prayers: Portraits and Prose of Tibetans in Exile.” He has completed two films: one on Tibetans in Exile and a second based on the novel “Island of the Blue Dolphin” with an original score and music performed live by the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Mumm Napa Winery is located at 8445 Silverado Trail, Rutherford, CA 94573.  For directions call (707) 967-7700.  Visitor center and fine art photography gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.  Series lectures are free and open to the public, but please RSVP at (707) 967-7740 to guarantee seating.

Upcoming Lectures
Feb. 6th - Stephen Harrison, “Eye: Forgot It Had A Brain”
Mar. 6th - John Trotter, “The Future of the Colorado River”
Mar. 13th - Florian Schulz, “Freedom To Roam” and
Daniel Beltrá “Amazon: Forest at Risk”

We would like to thank SanDisk for sponsoring the lecture series and our friends at PhotoAlliance for generously helping to publicize the lectures.

Don’t forget - PhotoAlliance’s annual portfolio review is approaching soon, and the deadline to submit your portfolio is February 10th, 2010.

This two-day event will bring together top photography editors, publishers, curators, gallerists, and educators representing small, mid-sized, and major venues from around the U.S. to meet with engaged photographers to review their portfolios and encourage their careers.  The review will be pre-juried, with a limit of 50, and run March 12-14, 2010 at San Francisco.  Download a full prospectus for more information.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager