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.

Jon Orlando at the Frye Art Museum this past weekend speaking on his project “Warriors for Peace: Stories of Resistance and Renewal.”

Our thanks to Jon Orlando for taking the time out of his busy schedule to finish our second lecture series this spring with an impressive performance.  This past weekend at the Frye Art Museum, Jon treated attendees to a personal perspective from behind the lens.  His project with Blue Earth, Warriors for Peace, is a personal endeavor to tell the stories of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan in their struggle to resist the ongoing violence.  If you didn’t have the chance to see Jon speak, take a few moments to check out his project gallery.

We’re in the process of planning for a third lecture series starting again in the fall.  An announcement with the schedule of speakers will be made here soon, so stay tuned!

- 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!

© 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!

Calla Lilies  © Stephen Harrison

This past Saturday at the Frye Art Museum, Stephen Harrison aptly demonstrated his expertise as both a neuroscientist and photographer in his wide-ranging discussion of human perception and the visual arts.  Despite the sunny day here in Seattle, photography enthusiasts turned out to hear first-hand about Harrison’s latest work as well as developments in ongoing research.  His lecture was one of the most detailed and informed presentations we’ve had to date.  Of course, this only sets the bar even higher for the rest of our series!

Keep an eye out for announcements about upcoming lectures - our next lecture will be May 15 with Jon Orlando, “Warriors for Peace: Stories of Resistance and Renewal.”

All lectures are held Saturdays, 2 p.m.at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.  Admission is free for Frye and Blue Earth members; $5 for students w/ ID or $10 for general admission.  Tickets will be available at the door.

- 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.

Snowy Owl at the Sarvey Wildlife Center.  © Annie Marie Musselman

Annie Marie Musselman kept a crowd of over 100 enthralled at her Blue Earth lecture yesterday.  In the second lecture of the 2009-2010 season of our series highlighting documentary photography, Blue Earth project photographer Annie Marie Musselman spoke about her work rescuing animals in need at the Sarvey Wildlife Center as well as other work in Borneo with orangutans.  Attendees saw some of her most recent photos and heard personal stories from the field.  Annie’s work is dramatic, very personal; no one left the lecture that day without a deeper appreciation of our connections with the animals with whom humans share this planet.

Keep an eye out for announcements about upcoming lectures - our next speaker will be Stephen Harrison “The Brain Through The Eyes Of The Beholder: New Explorations in Art, Neuroscience and Cognition.”

All lectures are held Saturdays, 2 p.m.at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.  Admission is free for Frye and Blue Earth members; $5 for students w/ ID or $10 for general admission.  Tickets will be available at the door.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

A Barn Owl that is undergoing rehabilitation leaps from the top of his cage at Sarvey Wildliife Care Center in Arlington, Washington. © Annie Marie Musselman.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars!  This week Blue Earth is proud to host photographer Annie Marie Musselman presenting “Finding Trust: My Discoveries At A Small Wildlife Sanctuary,” the second in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues. Musselman will be speaking in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum on Saturday, January 9 at 2 p.m.

“Finding Trust, the photo essay,” according to Musselman, “began 6 years ago at the Sarvey Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a small sanctuary about 45 miles north of Seattle, Washington where I live and work as a photographer. In 2002 when my mother passed away, I was left looking for something to hold on to, something real to photograph, and found the Sarvey Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Located in the foothills of the beautiful Cascade Mountain Range, it is a place where injured, wild creatures come to finish their journey or start a new one. The photographs I produce document the delicate union that exists between humans and animals. It’s not just the actual places where were our lives often intersect, like a park or forest, but the spaces where our emotions meet. The work documents the infirmed animals’ recovery with a sense of wonder as they heal, hoping to return to the wild forests of the Northwest. I hope to capture the palpable emotions in my photographs because I can’t help but contemplate how much we actually know about each other.”

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!

A Barn Owl that is undergoing rehabilitation leaps from the top of his cage at Sarvey Wildliife Care Center in Arlington, Washington. © Annie Marie Musselman.

Blue Earth is proud to host photographer Annie Marie Musselman presenting “Finding Trust: My Discoveries At A Small Wildlife Sanctuary,” the second in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues. Musselman will be speaking in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum on Saturday, January 9 at 2 p.m.

“Finding Trust, the photo essay,” according to Musselman, “began 6 years ago at the Sarvey Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a small sanctuary about 45 miles north of Seattle, Washington where I live and work as a photographer. In 2002 when my mother passed away, I was left looking for something to hold on to, something real to photograph, and found the Sarvey Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Located in the foothills of the beautiful Cascade Mountain Range, it is a place where injured, wild creatures come to finish their journey or start a new one. The photographs I produce document the delicate union that exists between humans and animals. It’s not just the actual places where were our lives often intersect, like a park or forest, but the spaces where our emotions meet. The work documents the infirmed animals’ recovery with a sense of wonder as they heal, hoping to return to the wild forests of the Northwest. I hope to capture the palpable emotions in my photographs because I can’t help but contemplate how much we actually know about each other.”

Musselman received her BFA at Principia College in 1996 after a photography apprenticeship in Marseilles, France. Finding Trust won first place in the 2006 Environmental Photography Invitational and was featured in American Photography 22 and 25. Her work has been exhibited at the Seattle Public Library Downtown, The Photographic Center Northwest in “A Delicate Balance”, The Alice Austen House Museum, NYC 2009 and currently at the Ansel Adams Gallery in Nappa Valley, CA. With the intention of expanding her work with animals, Musselman visited Borneo to study and document endangered orangutans in sanctuaries; this work appeared in Newsweek Aug. 11, 2009. Finding Trust is represented by Redux Pictures, NYC. Musselman’s work can also be seen in several magazines including Outside, Mother Jones, Travel + Leisure, The New York Times, The Fader and National Geographic Adventure.

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

Upcoming Lectures

Annie Marie Musselman - January 9, 2010
“Finding Trust: My Discoveries At A Small Wildlife Sanctuary”

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!

© Camille Seaman

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 second in our Mumm Napa series will feature “Connection and Purpose,” a presentation by former Blue Earth project photographer Camille Seaman on Saturday, Dec. 5th 2009, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Camille Seaman (Shinnecock Tribe b.1969) is an Award winning American photographer best known for her evocative Polar images.  Capturing the essence of awe and beauty of indigenous cultures and environments, in a sophisticated documentary/fine art tradition is her trademark.  Camille has traveled to over 30 countries creating timeless images.  Seaman’s work has been exhibited and published in magazines internationally.  Seaman’s career was launched when she traveled north to the Arctic in 2003 where she made stunning photographs of the little known island of Svalbard and its Arctic environment.  She often teaches workshops on Photography and self-publishing.

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
Dec. 5th - Camille Seaman, “Connection and Purpose”
Feb. 6th - Stephen Harrison, “Visualizing Earth”
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.

Gary Braasch speaking this past Saturday at the Frye Art Museum.

Long after the lecture ended, discussion of critical issues surrounding global warming continued.

In the first lecture of the 2009-2010 season of our lecture series highlighting documentary photography, Blue Earth project photographer Gary Braasch spoke at the Frye Art Museum this past weekend on recent work for his project on Global Climate Change.  Attendance was good for a Halloween weekend, and, as usual, Gary kept the crowd riveted.

Keep an eye out for announcements about upcoming lectures – our next speaker will be Annie Marie Musselman on “Finding Trust: My Discoveries At A Small Wildlife Sanctuary.”

All lectures are held Saturdays, 2 p.m.at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.  Admission is free for Frye and Blue Earth members; $5 for students w/ ID or $10 for general admission.  Tickets will be available at the door.

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Bangladesh eroding.  Bangladeshis on the edge of an eroding village south of Dhaka, only a about a meter away from inundation by the next storm or flood.  A one meter rise in sea level will displace 20 million people and flood 10 percent of Bangladesh.  © Gary Braasch

Don’t forget to mark your calendars!  This week Blue Earth will be hosting photographer Gary Braasch presenting “Climate Change: A World View of Global Warming,” the first in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues.  Braasch will be speaking in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum this Saturday, October 31 at 2 p.m.

Braasch presents a compelling and inspiring view of the world today through his exploration of our planet.  He brings nature, science and our relationship with them into focus through a reporter’s eye and engaging photographs made from pole to pole.  Tickets available at the door.  Free to Blue Earth 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!

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Facing Climate Change: The Tinder People. Forest Service firefighters mop up a lightning fire during initial attack in Washington’s Methow Valley. Drought and warmer temperatures fuel more frequent and intense wildfires. Over the past five decades, the top five years for US acreage burned have occurred since 2000, and most climate models suggest that things will get worse. © Benjamin Drummond

The Ansel Adams Gallery and Blue Earth are proud to host an inspiring photo exhibit and lecture series 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 first in our lecture series will feature Blue Earth project photographer Benjamin Drummond & Sara Joy Steele on Saturday, Nov. 7th 2009, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Benj and Sara’s presentation illustrates global change through local people by interweaving multimedia, stills and stories from the American West and three Nordic communities. They will also share their newest work about some unlikely citizens that are addressing solutions to climate change.

As a documentary team, Benjamin Drummond and Sara Joy Steele have been telling stories that connect people and nature through photography, field audio, and writing for almost a decade. Their personal project, Facing Climate Change, documents communities around the world as they confront and adapt to the complex issues surrounding global warming. Over the last two years Facing Climate Change has been featured in Photo District News, Orion Magazine and Mother Jones, in exhibitions from Seattle City Hall to Houston Center for Photography, and as a multimedia presentation shown at a variety of venues, from colleges and prisons to art galleries. Benj and Sara are currently based in Seattle, Washington. Visit Facing Climate Change to learn more about their work.

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.

Lecture Schedule
Nov. 7th - Drummond/Steele, “Facing Climate Change”
Dec. 5th - Camille Seaman, “Connection and Purpose”
Feb. 6th - Stephen Harrison, “Visualizing Earth”
Mar. 6th - John Trotter, “The Future of the Colorado River”
Mar. 13th - Florian Schulz, “Freedom To Roam” and
Daniel Beltrá “Amazon: Forest at Risk”

Our project photographers are a busy group!

Bert Teunissen continues to travel for his Domestic Landscapes project, recently adding 41 amazing new images to his project archive from his recent visit to Poland.  More trips are planned in the near future.

Heather McClintock will be one of several artists featured in the a new exhibition of the Center’s Award Recipients from October 8 - November 25 , 2009 at the Photographic Center Northwest, 900 Twelfth Avenue in Seattle.  The exhibition highlights the Center’s 14th Annual Project Competition Award Winner and Singular Image Award Winners.  There will be an Opening reception October 8, 5-8 p.m. and an informal Artist’s Talk with Cori Chandler-Pepelnjak at 5:30 p.m.

Former Blue Earth photographer Frans Lanting’s “LIFE: A Journey Through Time” will be shown in Italy, Mexico, and London.

• On Saturday October 3, 2009, LIFE will be performed in Bolzano, Italy, by the Orchestra Haydn of Trento and Bolzano, conducted by Keiko Mitsuhashi.

• LIFE will next be performed on Saturday November 7, 2009, in Merida, Mexico, during the Wild9 9th World Wilderness Congress.

• Marin Alsop, Principal Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of California’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in a special performance of LIFE at the Barbican in London on Sunday February 21, 2010.

Annie Marie Musselman has just added 9 new photos to her expanding Finding Trust project gallery, all featuring patients at the Sarvey Wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary.

Two photos by Jon Orlando were chosen for the “Visions of Peace” project in Denver, CO.  Visions of Peace, sponsored by the Colorado Department of Peace Campaign, is a campaign to create a “national department of peace.”

• Walker Fine Art Gallery, 300 W 11th Ave # A, Denver, CO 80204.  Visions of Peace event during the First Friday Art Walk, October 2, 7-9 p.m., running through November 1.

• Mercury Café, 2199 California St. Denver, CO. Visions of Peace event on October 18, 5:30-8 p.m.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

- Bart J. Cannon, Program Manager

Bangladesh eroding. Bangladeshis on the edge of an eroding village south of Dhaka, only a about a meter away from inundation by the next storm or flood. A one meter rise in sea level will displace 20 million people and flood 10 percent of Bangladesh. © Gary Braasch

We are pleased to announce that Blue Earth will be hosting photographer Gary Braasch presenting “Climate Change: A World View of Global Warming,” the first in our 2009-2010 lecture series on documentary photography focusing on global environments, social, and cultural issues.  Braasch will be speaking in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum on Saturday, October 31 at 2 p.m.

Gary Braasch presents a compelling and inspiring view of the world today through his exploration of our planet.  He brings nature, science and our relationship with them into focus through a reporter’s eye and engaging photographs made from pole to pole.  He is an environmental photojournalist who creates remarkable images and important documentation about nature, environment, biodiversity and global warming.  Braasch provides a broad review of the implications of rapid climate change for our daily lives, corporations, cities and international relations, and creates a vision of how we can slow global warming and improve the lives of people everywhere.  His presentation is a call to action to citizens, leaders, and governments and has an exhibit of large prints and work from his children’s book on climate change currently at the Headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC.

Gary Braasch was awarded the Ansel Adams Award for conservation photography by the Sierra Club and named Outstanding Nature Photographer in 2003 by the North American Nature Photography Association.  He is a “Legend Behind the Lens,” an honor by the Nikon Corporation recognizing photographers worldwide, and a founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.  Major assigned articles and portfolios have appeared in Time, LIFE, Scientific American, BBC Wildlife, and National Geographic.  His books include Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World, 2007; How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate, 2008; Photographing the Patterns of Nature, 1999; and Entering the Grove, 1990.  The United Nations used Braasch’s images exclusively for a set of six stamps about climate change in 2008.

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

Lecture Series Schedule

This lecture will be the first in a series of informative lectures that Blue Earth will host in the upcoming year.  Scheduled lectures include four current Blue Earth photographers:

October 31, 2009
Gary Braasch “Climate Change: A World View of Global Warming”

January 9, 2010
Annie Marie Musselman “Finding Trust: My Discoveries At A Small Wildlife Sanctuary”

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

May 15, 2010
Jon Orlando “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!