A successful opening for the Ron Reason photo show in Chicago
Here is a link to more photos of the opening (and prep):
http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?tab=3#/album.php?page=2&aid=86448&id=725486985
Ron Reason reports that the opening of his photo show, Time to Get Lovely, was an absolute success, with more than 400 visitors stopping by .
Here we see our colleague, Dr. Pegie Stark Adam, champagne flute in hand, ready to toast the event, after she contributed her talents to the design of a photo layout on a 22×14 door wall.
Two of the photos that are part of the Time To Get Lovely exhibit opening in Chicago today
He calls this, his first solo photo exhibition, Time to Get Lovely, and this effort represents a shift in direction for Ron, whom we all know from his work with newspapers, both as an editor and designer. Not that he has abandoned these pursuits, but he expands his creativity into new areas.
In this show, he displays photos he and his camera captured from around the world. I have been with Ron on some of the trips where these photos are taken. He hides behind partitions, or in a corner somewhere, you hardly know he is taking a photo, and you never hear a click behind you, yes, the image is captured. It is usually a very different one from what you see by just standing there.
I remember when Ron was my house guest over a year ago, and I never saw him take a single photo, yet, at the end of the visit, he presented me with a stunning collection of imageries from the inside of my home that allowed me to “revisit” my own space—-and appreciate it more.
The Ron Reason photo show opened last night . In Ron’s own words:
What started as a little side pursuit during some down time with work (something many people can related to now), turned into more than a passing curiosity and then into a passion. In less than a year I went from taking a few photos at family events, more or less, to taking photos wherever I could. This involved venturing into places, and looking at things, and meeting people, in brand new ways. And in the 11th hour of preparing the gallery (which doubles as my newspaper design office during tne day) I recall the words of you, my friend: “one is NEVER read for the biggest and most exciting challenges in your life. Teaching a college course, writing a book, taking on a big client … now, opening a gallery and hosting a solo photo exhibition. One never feels there is a perfect moment to attempt such foolish things, when in fact, the perfect moment is always NOW – the moment being when you are fearless and courageous enough to do it!” So Mario thanks for your support, YOU got me here!
I am glad I did, Ron, and I only wish I could be there to savour the moment with you.
This show brings together a series of images – unrelated events, places, and objects – that attempt to find beauty in the often routine, or even depressing, corners of life. Quick moments, passing glances, airport transfers, things darting past the camera. Ordinary snippets from an odd variety of places – Mombasa, Cicero, deep in the Himalayas, Oxbow, somewhere in the Nevada desert, Zanzibar, Macy’s, Pilsen, somewhere over Sudan, Manhattan, the Great Rift Valley, Paris, Giza, Chicago. But by no means is this a travel diary, at least of anything but one year in a random life.
An important fact is that this show is another in a series of fundraiser exhibits, with 100% of proceeds going to benefit various programs in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Previous shows have financed the establishment of an after-school kids club, the slum’s first-ever (1,200 titles strong and growing fast), and the acquisition of permanent studio space for the M2 collective of artists. You can learn more about the initiative, including how you might help, here.
For more details, and to sample some of the photos in the exhibit:
http://artwithinreason.com/
Il Secolo XIX for Friday, April 10
According to Massimo Gentile, this front page is devoted to the exodus of young people who no longer wish to live in the L’Aquila region, where the earthquake hit, contrasted with the older folks, who refuse to leave and wish to come back to their homes. The map on the second page explains the 58 earthquakes that have hit the region since the first one struck Monday.
Il Secolo pages from Thursday, April 9
Front and inside page from today’s Il Secolo XIX
Various inside pages from Il Secolo XIX, of Genoa, Italy
Two pages of Il Secolo XIX, and front page of La Stampa
Page devoted to graphics about the earthquake: design by Massimo Gentile
Various front pages from around Italy
We are grateful to Massimo Gentile, design director of Il Secolo XIX of Genoa, Italy, for updating us on how the Italian newspapers are covering this most devastating of earthquakes.
This is a sort of nightmare for the residents of the region. Our front page of today shows the dominant photo, dramatically presented, of a woman crying in front of her house, destroyed by the impact of the earthquake. In that photo, we see the terror and devastation of this earthquake.
Massimo directs us to Page 3 today where they have a 3D map of the affected region, where the impact of the earthquake register 6.3 in the Richter scale, with a second strong tremor, 5.3 in the scale. The map also shows the specific areas where the greatest number of victims were killed or injured.
Says Massimo: No newspaper in Italy was able to carry a graphic that was so informative in its scope, except Il Secolo XIX.
For the staff of Il Secolo XIX, a news event such as this earthquake allows them to see how the processes of editing/design come together, and how they extend to the online edition, where videos and multi media presentations are available as well.
TheMarioBlog posting #236