Brad Workman's Exhibit, "Interim Port-au-Prince" in the Price Gallery

Florida based photo-journalist and former News-Times photographer Brad Workman brings his exhibit, "Interim Port-au-Prince" to the galleries in September. His riveting images document the period immediately following the February 2004 Haiti Rebellion that prematurely ended President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's second term. The subsequent interim era of political unrest led to an official election on February 7, 2006, when René Garcia Préval and a 129-member Haitian Parliament were elected.
Workman's concern with the struggles of humanity leads him "to places in the world where people are experiencing and creating tumultuous political transition and to reporting about the living conditions that help cause such transitions." As an independent journalist, a traveler, and an observer, his interest in Haiti led to numerous trips there during the "interim" period, and he concluded that journalistic coverage by foreign media of the impact on the eight million Haitians was inadequate. His efforts to counteract that insufficiency, by questioning and revealing; examining and documenting; are embodied in the images he brings to SAAC.
At once illuminating the causes of social tension and revealing the consequences of political decisions, Workman's photographs coax the viewer out of naïve comfort and into a world that is only too real for those who live it. However, he avoids a manufactured or manipulated response; uncomfortable with working too much for affect. However, he is comfortable if the affect is simply change, "even if that change is only fleeting or emotionally reactive."
Additionally, he hopes his images will "serve earnest and honest historians and their audiences and instigate or aid topical debate. Likewise," he said, "if an image was somehow instrumental in generating additional journalism from or about the region in which it was captured then I would certainly consider that a desirable affect or change."
Of the pieces in the show, he says his photographs of children are his favorites. "I doubt that Haiti's young people truly realize how impressive they are to more-fortunate foreigners," he said. "Whenever I photographed a kid I sensed that I was simultaneously photographing Haiti's unseen future. It was a strange and sublime experience that carries with it strong obligations."

Workman brings his strongest images of Haiti to El , and described several that figure prominently among his favorites. One "depicts a uniformed school boy traveling, apparently nonchalantly, past the smoldering remains of a fiery attack on a government official's vehicle. Another image shows a boy straining to see a political demonstration from inside the confines of his school."
Though the images reveal stark realities, they often are beautiful; showing the resilience and determination of the human spirit. "Ideally, every image I capture would offer enduring insights into the human experience and spirit -- like the insights offered by a fine novel," he said. "I wish that every image I capture would reveal different things about the human spirit to different people as well as reveal different things to the same individual at different times." He added, "It is also quite possible that the human spirit is evolving before our eyes, and that is one reason why I want to keep working. I think I am finally starting to create the kind of reporting that holds the potential to be the most gratifying when I am a genuinely elderly American looking back on his efforts." Workman's "Interim Port-Au-Prince" will hang from September 1 - 29.

Two Day Artist Workshop: Collage D'Art with Lori K. Gordon

Saturday, Sept. 16th 10-5 & Sunday, Sept. 17th 12-5
Fee $160, Supplies provided (maximum 12 students)
Make checks payable to SAAC. Class Fees are non-refundable.

Join Lori Gordon as she explores the unique process of collage d'art, which combines innovative painting techniques and monotype printmaking with polymer clay and handmade papers. This creative process developed by Gordon involves several artistic methods including pour painting, monotype printmaking, the use of polymer clay, and the selection of handmade papers. Stop by the SAAC office for more detailed information and to register!
Largely self-taught, Bay St. Louis, MS artist Lori K. Gordon works in many media including graphite, fabric, acrylic, handmade paper and polymer clay. In 2003 Gordon began capturing the local landscapes of her beloved Mississippi Gulf Coast in acrylic, and continued that work until Hurricane Katrina upended her life on August 29, 2005. Five weeks after the event, Gordon began collecting rubble and transforming it into works of art. Receiving national attention with her "Katrina Collection," Lori K. Gordon brings her new series of mixed media collages and assemblages to the South Arkansas Arts Center in September.

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi artist Lori K. Gordon's life was turned upside down a year ago when Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything she owned. Nothing remained of her home and studio except a concrete slab where her home stood. For five weeks, she says she spent time simply waiting. "I waited for the insurance adjusters to come, and I waited for the county to allow me to go back home, and I waited for some sign that things were really getting better. I waited for the moments of anger, sorrow, and fear to pass."
Before the storm, she enjoyed her life on the Coast as an artist, marveling at the beauty of her surroundings. Largely self-taught, she worked in many media including graphite, fabric, acrylic, handmade paper and polymer clay. In 2003, Gordon began capturing the local landscapes of her beloved Mississippi Gulf Coast in acrylic and continued that work until Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005.
Five weeks after the storm, she began collecting rubble and transforming it into works of art. A mound of debris covered her property, and as she sifted through it, she gathered twisted pieces of metal, broken pieces of plywood, broken dolls and plaster angels that washed up on her property. Some of the more unusual items she found were a clock that stopped the moment Katrina hit, and pieces of paintings that she rescued from tree limbs.
As she collected her unusual treasures, the healing process began. The artist within her needed to create, and she began to use the collected rubble to produce mixed media collages, some with layers of meaning. One of the most powerful pieces is entitled "Blue Heron." What once were symbols of shattered lives became "The Katrina Collection." She said, "In a very small and personal way, I have been able to make time start again."
Receiving national attention for this body of work, Gordon has exhibited across the U.S. and teaches her Collage d'Art workshops. Her exhibit hangs in the SAAC galleries September 1 - 29 with an artists' reception on Saturday, September 9 from 6-8pm.