EXHIBIT OPENS AT PHOTOWORKS GALLERY FRIDAY, MARCH 19

Skateboarding, ballet, ritual traditions and the devastation of natural disasters are among the topics essayed in Mirror to the World, Photoworks Second Annual group exhibition of documentary photography. Curated by popular Photoworks instructor Frank Van Riper, the show features work by eight DC-area photographers pursuing documentary projects both at home and around the world. The show opens with a reception, 6 to 9 pm on Friday, March 19, and runs through Sunday, April 18, 2010.

Mirror to the World highlights an eclectic mix of images and narrative styles. Timothy Hyde’s striking images focus on natural devastation both here and abroad. Praveen Mantena’s photographs provide a quiet, personal take on a desert purification rite. Sonia Suter brings a tender perspective to a young girl’s trials and triumphs at ballet class. Mark Silva creates an eloquent black and white essay on Easter preparations at a Russian Orthodox Church.
Sean Bowie offers a gritty look at young skateboarders in Baltimore, Jonathan Zuck takes us to the colorful frenzy of open-air markets in Seoul, Korea, Joshua Yospyn features portraits from a Renaissance fair, and Frank Turner captures poignant portraits of the friends and neighbors he loves.

Mirror to the World, an invitational show, debuted last year to highlight the documentary and narrative photography programs at Photoworks, where Van Riper has taught for the past six years. “This year’s exhibit follows in a great tradition,” Van Riper declared, “offering stories of sensitivity and visual texture, and, of course, photographs to linger over.”

Photoworks Gallery is located on the first floor of the Arcade Building, at 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, MD.

Image: Seawall Shops, Galveston Island (2008) by Timothy Hyde.