Category: Events

Hiroshima and Nagasaki remembered: Lanterns for Peace

August 6th, 2011, 6 to 9 pm, Pere Marquette Park, Milwaukee, WI: Peace Action Wisconsin held it’s annual Lanterns for Peace event along the shores of the Milwaukee River in rememberence of the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagaski on August 9, 1945. So very beautiful, solemn, peaceful, sadly under-attended, and not covered by any media.

Before the canoeists could complete setting all the lanterns afloat two party barges felt compelled to dock in the event area. The partying, noisy drunks appeared oblivious to the solemn event taking place before them. Loud verbal nonsense drowned out the beautiful, subtle sound of the Kalimba (Thumb Piano); and turned the space and time into an apt metaphor for the current state of global communication about the social issues of war and peace; violence; the economic collapse; and income disparity; et al. As it occurred I could not bring myself to photograph the offensive and ugly side; I kept it out of my view finder; though I now feel I should have attempted to document their insensitivity. Oh well.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph and 50 mm Summilux Asph

Dancemakers 2011

Dancemakers 2011 featured new choreography from the Peck School of Dance MFA students at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Mainstage Theatre, Saturday, July 30th, 7:30 pm.

Each short dance expressed one aspect or another of our human relationships, encompassing everything from ethereal romances to sexual encounters; and incorporating humor, tragedy and the purely comic. Tulips danced (and were tiptoed through). Phone sex operators danced. Spirits danced. The choreographers and dancers, entertained, delighted and definitely challenged the boundaries of their audience.

(click photo for larger view)

Leica M8, 75 mm Summilux

A small funeral for Medicare and Medicaid

Thursday, July 28th, 2011, 12:00 Noon, Glendale, WI ~ In observance of the 46th Anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare Citizen Action of Wisconsin Staged a Medicaid/Medicare Anniversary Funeral Event in front of Wisconsin State Senator Alberta Darlings campaign office at 311 W. Silver Spring Drive.

Medicaid and Medicare as we have known them for five decades are now deeply threatened by Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which Senator Darling supports. The national debt limit crisis has intensified the threat to these vital and widely popular public commitments. In addition, as Co-Chair of the Legislature’s budget writing committee, Alberta Darling pushed through Scott Walker’s state budget which slashed $500 million from Wisconsin’s Medicaid programs, including BadgerCare and FamilyCare.

The people of Senator Darling’s District successfully “recalled” her and she now faces Sandy Pasch in an August 9th election.

(click photographs for larger view)

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph

Love and loyalty.

Decades ago I photographed the children of friends. As the children grew up many years passed between the few occasions that I saw the children. Yet grow up they did; and married; and gave birth to their own children. When the time came to celebrate their grandmother’s 85th birthday these grandchildren decided to gift their grandmother with photographs of her children, grand children and great grandchildren – and – that George “must” create the photographs. Thank you for your loyalty Molly, Reuben et al! I really enjoyed our delightful morning together – meeting your life partners and children; and documenting 4 beautiful generations expressing their love for one another. Edward Steichen said, “A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.”

Looking forward to photographing this little one’s children in 20 plus years.

(click photographs for larger view)

Leica M8, 50 mm Summilux Asph

Leica R8/DMR, 80 mm Summilux