Jim Embry
http://www.kentucky.com/2012/01/18/2032845/tom-eblen-unity-award-winner-not.html
pdf version of Summit poster1st Lady of Kentucky Mrs. Jane Beshear
First Lady
of KentuckFirst Lady
of Kentucky
Black History Month Photo Exhibit
News Release
Contact: Jim Embry, Sustainable
Communities Network, embryjim@gmail.com,
859-270-3699
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9,
2012
Black History Month Photography
Exhibit by Jim Embry
Lexington, KY-As part of its Black
History Month recognition the Kentucky Theater has selected Jim Embry known for
his food system activism as the featured artist February 1-28. The Kentucky
Theater Art Gallery is open daily 1pm-10pm. The public is invited to the Opening
Reception on Friday Feb 17 5-8pm as part of Gallery Hop.
Jim Embry’s photos tell the story of
his activism and travels to Brazil, Cuba, India, Italy, several Caribbean
Islands and around the USA. These photographs will be part of his forth coming
book, Through the Lens of a Sacred Earth
Activist, coming out this fall.
His photographs can also be seen 1)
in the 1st floor lobby of the St. Joseph Women’s Hospital on Eagle
Creek Dr., 2) in the book Sustainable World Sourcebook , 3) on the Bulgarian Public
Republic web site, We are-all-artists-with-multiple-avenues-of-creativity, and
4) front page photos in ACE Weekly ACE Dig It,
ACE Lex
Grows, ACE
Hoby Art.
Jim Embry says “We are all
artists with multiple avenues of creativity, and photography is one of them.
Photography, as any other creative outlet, affects our deeper humanity. It
allows us to use a voice from deep within to speak our truth. A good photo
comes from a place of humility. The photographer must not think that his or her
picture of a rose will come out anywhere nearly as perfect and beautiful as the
rose itself. Furthermore, I enjoy capturing spontaneous pictures, funny,
whimsical, human emotions”.
Some of the photos in his exhibit
capture the stories of such experiences as:
Ø his
travels to Aquascalientes, Mexico as the only non-Latino member of a USA
delegation to study Los Repatriados, the Mexican Repatriation or coerced
expulsion of immigrants and U.S. Citizens of Mexican and Mexican-American
descent from the United States during the 1930's. Some of his images include
works by Jose Posada, murals depicting the Mexican Revolution and
community life in the city known for hot springs! This experience inspired his speech
at the 2006 Immigrant Rights Rally that was published in Latino Studies, Rivers That we Cross, and has been cited by Latino scholar George Sanchez.
Ø he began scuba diving in 1995 and have been to
many islands in the Caribbean diving primarily with the National Association of Black
Scuba Divers.
Ø His travels
to Italy to attend Terra
Madre the international Slow Food gathering held in Torino.
Ø The
beautiful eucalyptus trees in La Sabana Park in Costa Rica
Ø His travels
to the The Charlie Parker Memorial in Kansas City, Muir Woods
National Park, The Underground Railroad Memorial in Detroit’s Hart Plaza, the HOBY murals hanging in Lexington’s eastend, community
garden projects and so much more.
Jim feels that “ We human beings are on Earth in
order to be creative and to inspire ourselves and other people. There are
sacred connections that are there between all of us in the Earth community. And
these photos are like the hologram – a microcosm of this sense of
connectedness. That’s what I am trying to express”.
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Ky. Voices: Ways to encourage sustainability,
creativity
Jim-Embry-2010-Garden-Crusader
Jim Embry,
Director of Sustainable Communities Network named
finalist in Education
believes that community
gardening is the most important social movement in the country. "The
climate is changing and that is because we are disconnected from the
Earth,"
he says. With a lifetime of experience as a social activist, Jim is now
working
to connect community gardeners to the earth — and to each
other.
"In the garden, adults and even very young children,
learn about patience
and discovery and not to be afraid. Gardens teach citizenship and
stewardship," he said. "For the last generation, the focus has been
on computer literacy; now it's time for the focus to be on
eco-literacy."
Read the full story: 1st Place: Jim
Embry, Lexington, KY
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