To Life!
"Cropped Red Number 4" by Joan
Chesler of Ann Arbor
"Butterfly" from the book "Portraits of Homelessness"
by Joan Kadri Zald of Ann Arbor
"New York Cabbie" by Mel Manis of Ann Arbor
`Through Our Eyes'
Ann Arbor JCC hosts photography exhibit by seniors.
ELLEN HALTER
Special to the Jewish News
Ann Arbor
hadn't known there were so
many people who do serious and
good photography," said Mark
Chesler, a participant in "Through
Our Eyes," a photography exhibit by
seniors at the Jewish Community
Center of Washtenaw County that
runs through August.
The 25 contributors range in age
from 55 to about 85. Their work
ranges from abstrict to nature to still
life and figurative.
Phyllis Herzig, head of senior pro-
gramming at the Ann Arbor JCC,
assembled the talent. "This exhibit is
both a way for seniors to contribute to
the community and for the communi-
ty to have the opportunity to see the
talents and expertise of Jewish sen-
iors," she says.
Mark and Joan Chesler are the
only couple to exhibit. Their photo-
graphs represent the spectrum of dif-
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2005
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ferent interests, experiences and tech-
niques among the exhibitors. Mark is
known for his large-scale nature pho-
tography of animals and birds; Joan
prefers to photograph "things that
have a geometric or architectural feel
to them." His photos of majestic ani-
mals, such as a cheetah and an ele-
phant, are in stark contrast to her
close-ups of a manmade door, sculp-
ture and path.
He uses a 35mm camera and relies
on a commercial printer; she uses a
digital camera and computer software
to produce two-dimensional abstrac-
tions of three-dimensional objects. He
had exhibited at the Cancer Center of
Providence Hospital; she had never
shown her work before.
Joan Kadri Zald, a retired social
worker, can be considered a profes-
sional because she published Portraits
of Homelessness in 2003. "Butterfly"
and "Mother and Son" from that series
are in the JCC exhibit. In addition,
her photograph, "A Special
Relationship," was originally published
in an informational brochure for the
Corner Health Center.
Zald is currently working on a new
volume, but this time on a topic she
calls "creative aging" — senior citizens
who actively pursue creative interests
in retirement.
Margaret (Peggy) Singer also con-
siders herself a professional. She
owns a small photography business
called "Moment to Remember," and
has exhibited at the Michigan
League, the Turner Clinic Gallery
and the JCC. Her series of photo-
graphs at the JCC are entitled
"Textures in Ice" and were the out-
come of a trip to Alaska.
Although, as Singer explains, there
are many ways of looking at glaciers,
her goal was to capture the variety and
complexity of their textures and, to a
lesser degree, their colors.
Washtenaw County Commissioner
Barbara Levin Bergman still considers
the photography she has done for 20
years to be a hobby. She looks to local
marvels for inspiration, and her pho-
tos reflect her belief that "color is joy-
ous." Her images of a primrose, bleed-
ing heart, lilac and tulip are all corn-
puter enlargements from her garden.
Although she had never exhibited
before, like others, she is grateful for
the JCC show that "gave me the nerve
to show my stuff."
Ed Klein is another photographer
who sticks close to home for subject
matter, "specializing in Gallop Park."
Jan Winkelman photographed
buildings and objects on his travels in
Europe; Nancy Margolis chose syna-
gogues and ancient doors; Mel Manis
took candid shots of people through-
out the world, including a female cab-
bie in New York, a boatman in Hong
Kong and dark-skinned Israeli street
children.
The exhibit is open from 9 a.m.-6
p.m. Monday through Friday. At 11
a.m. on Aug. 25, exhibitor and pho-
tography instructor Bev Chethik will
give a guided tour. The JCC will
receive 20 percent of the revenue from
sales of the photographs. El