Tonight I’ll be participating in Arts Connect Topeka’s First Fridays Art Walk with an exhibition of twenty of my photos from my 2004 trip to Japan. Here is my artists statement for this exhibit:
“In 2004 it was my great privilege and pleasure to be given the chance to fulfill a life-long dream of visiting Japan by the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program.
Beginning on May 14th and continuing through June 10th I spent 28 days on the eastern shores of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the Japanese Islands. Along with our Rotarian team leader, I and the other three team members were fully immersed in Japanese culture for the duration of our stay as we lived with Japanese families, took part in ceremonies and visited historic cities, temples and shrines that dated back hundreds and in some cases thousands of years.
As a photographer, my camera bag with two digital cameras and assorted lenses, flashes and accessories was a constant companion as well, affectionately known by my fellow team members as the “6th member” of our group. I captured several thousand images during our trip and am now presenting twenty of my favorite images to the public. While these images showcase only a fraction of what I experienced during our journey, I believe the impact of these select photographs convey a great deal about the people and sights of this area of Japan.”
Hope you can stop by!
