Announcement of Uganda: A River Blue exhibition in the current Maine Media Workshops newsletter. Thanks Kate, Melissa, and MMW.

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The Voice Project from The Voice Project.

Carry Me Home from Barefoot Workshops.

Title: Carry Me Home
A Film By: David Wright and Susan Fritz
Produced By: Barefoot Workshops, Inc.
Instructors: Julie Winokur, Teddy Symes, Yoni Brook & Chandler Griffin
Sponsors by: Canon USA, Sennheiser, Bogen Imaging, Lowel, Litepanels
Created: February 2010, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Synopsis: A self-determined man confronts his past, is given a chance, and discovers the freedom to change on the Sunflower River.

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This was my first foray into documentary filmmaking and the experience was nothing short of remarkable. There were 12 students including myself, 4 incredible instructors with a plethora of experience and knowledge, and an endlessly helpful support staff composed of savvy locals and Delta Workshop alumni students.

Our home base was the Shack Up Inn in the Mississippi Delta. It was an ideal environment to learn, edit, eat, and sleep, although there was not much sleeping to be had after week 1! Thanks to all for making these 2 weeks beyond enjoyable.

I highly recommend Barefoot Workshops for documentary filmmaking and photography. For more information, visit Barefoot Workshops.

Thank you all for attending the exhibition, kind wishes, and unending support. It was an enormous success and absolutely packed for 3 hours. So great to see so many old and new friends!

Thanks Felicia, Ryan, and Carlo at AnastasiaPhoto; Chandler Griffin from A River Blue; Color Services for the exquisite framing; catering; family; friends; colleagues; and all the individuals from northern Uganda and A River Blue from which this work could not have been created without. I am indebted to you all.

If you have pictures from the opening, please send them to david (at) davidwrightphoto.com. I’d like to feature a few here.

Join us again Tuesday, March 16th at 6:30pm when Chandler Griffin, founder of A River Blue, and I present a conversation about northern Uganda and A River Blue.

Join and support us tonight, March 4th from 6:30-8:30PM for the opening reception of Uganda: A River Blue at AnastasiaPhoto in New York. The opening reception and exhibition are open to the public.

This work was created in January and February 2009 when I spent 2 months in northern Uganda photographing for A River Blue, a school providing psychosocial counseling and intense vocational training in topics like tailoring, agriculture, and arts to vulnerable youth.

A beautiful A River Blue catalogue designed by Josh Gomby and printed by Booksmart Studio in an edition of 200 will be released at the opening reception. The catalogue will be available through donations of any amount and 100% of the proceeds go to A River Blue.

Additionally, Chandler Griffin, founder of A River Blue, and I will give an artist’s talk Tuesday, March 16th, from 6:30-8:30PM at AnastasiaPhoto.

AnastasiaPhoto is located at 166 Orchard Street, New York, New York.

I’m down in the Mississippi Delta for 1 more week attending Barefoot Workshops’ 2-week Mississippi Delta Workshop. The experience has been remarkable and in my opinion the best workshop environment for learning documentary film making.

Our instructors are Chandler Griffin, Julie Winokur, Teddy Symes, and Yoni Brook — all amazing individuals with a wealth of knowledge they have been sharing. Plus, we have the fotune of having previous workshop alums with us. Check out Barefoot’s website if you have ever wanted to learn and experience doc film making.

Fields, Clarksdale, Mississippi, 2010

Uganda: A River Blue

Reception: March 4, 6:30-8:30PM

Exhibition: February 5-March 31, 2010

AnastasiaPhoto is located at 166 Orchard Street, New York, New York.

From the press release:

“AnastasiaPhoto is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by photographer David Wright: A photographic collaboration with the NGO, A River Blue.

These luminous works were made over two months in northern Uganda where A River Blue is located. The photos depict a school that is funded by the charitable organization A River Blue in a formerly internally displaced persons camp, as well as images of the citizens and landscapes of the surrounding village of Alebtong. This series of photographs was recently selected as 1 of 3 winners in the 2009 Conscientious Portfolio Competition.”

Additionally:

A beautiful A River Blue catalogue designed by Josh Gomby and printed by Booksmart Studio in an edition of 250 will be released at the opening reception. It will be available for purchase through donation (any amount — your choice) and 100% of the proceeds go to A River Blue. Support A River Blue and take home a memorable piece of the exhibition. The picture below is of the booklet cover.

The opening reception and exhibition are open to the public. We encourage you to bring friends, family, and colleagues, and learn about A River Blue, northern Uganda, and AnastasiaPhoto.

Powerful. Make sure you watch the entire video.

Maya Lin – Unchopping a Tree.

Richard Oculi was a wonderful goat shepard and agricultural worker at A River Blue, the non-profit I worked with in northern Uganda. He was a great, gentle man and was always willing to help without being asked. I was informed that Richard recently passed away due to a supposed chronic lung infection.

Richard, you will be missed. Rest in peace, my friend.

Richard, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009

Haitian President Rene Preval has said thousands of people are feared dead following a huge quake which has devastated the country’s capital. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the head of the UN mission in Haiti and his deputy were among more than 100 staff missing.

The 7.0-magnitude quake, Haiti’s worst in two centuries, struck south of Port-au-Prince, on Tuesday. The Red Cross says up to three million people are affected.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered a number of recent disasters, including four hurricanes and storms in 2008 that killed hundreds.

(via BBC)

Make a donation to the Red Cross — all amounts help.

“A man helped an injured person after the quake. Haiti, by far the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has been beset by natural disasters for most of its recent history.” Photo credit: Tequila Minsky for The New York Times)