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ANN ARBOR, Mich., October 23, 2008 – A stunning display of photography has opened at the Kreft Center Gallery at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “The Sudan Project: Photographs by Ryan Spencer Reed” is an exhibit of photographic prints made by documentary photographer Ryan Spencer Reed. The gallery will run from October 28 to December 7. An opening reception will be held on Friday, November 7 at 7:00 p.m.
Reed's haunting photographs depict the impact of nearly 25 years of brutal civil war on the Sudanese population. Reed began his quest to illustrate the pathos and passion of Sudan shortly after his May 2002 graduation from Calvin College. He jumped on a plane and traveled to Sudan with his camera, some lenses and not much money. Reed spent seven months in Africa, mostly in and around Sudan, taking pictures in an attempt to create images that would raise people's social consciousness.
“I see myself,” he says, “as a very privileged member of Western society who has a responsibility to do something about the injustices in the world.” Reed has created images of children playing with guns, dirty hospitals, smiling women sitting in a marketplace with nothing to sell, infant funerals - life in a country torn by civil unrest for more than two decades.
While many of the photos reflect dire circumstances, Reed is quick to point out that his work is not about hardening people. “I think what should be made clear is more options,” he says. “We need to offer more hope. It’s not about some dark mountain that can never be leveled. We have more rights than anyone in this universe. But without the images it’s easy to forget.”
For more information about the exhibit, visit: http://sudanproject.ryanspencerreed.com.
Concordia University Ann Arbor is a private, Christian liberal arts institution of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Concordia offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in an environment focused on the individual student. Concordia is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Concordia’s Family Life Program is approved by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). The athletics program has helped Concordia receive the recognition of a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character institution. Concordia is located at 4090 Geddes Road in Ann Arbor, MI. For more information, visit: www.cuaa.edu.
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