08/30/11 Last night was the opening night reception for a fascinating photo exhibit celebrating the 30th anniversary of Poland’s heroic Solidarity movement which started as a peaceful trade labor uprising and morphed into a nationalist, human rights and democracy cause that finally led to the collapse of the Evil Empire. The exhibit will be on display at the Woodrow Wilson Center until September 29th.

From the release . . .

The Phenomenon of Solidarity:

Pictures From the History of Poland,

1980-1981

a photo exhibition

presented by

the Institute of National Remembrance (Poland)

and

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Cold War International History Project

The Phenomenon of Solidarity commemorates the 30th anniversary of the founding of the movement, and highlights formative moments in its history. The exhibition traces key events, such as the strikes of August 1980 and the enforcement of Martial Law in December of 1981. The photographs offer a new perspective on the path leading to the creation of the Solidarity Trade Union, and provide an insight into the Union’s relations with the communist regime, as well as the prevailing social sentiment towards the movement amidst pivotal political, social, and economic developments in Poland.

Most photos displayed at the exhibition were taken by recognized photographers, amongst them were Erazm Ciołek, Jarosław M. Goliszewski, Stanisław Jakubowski, Bogusław Nieznalski, Stanisław Składanowski, Zbigniew Trybka, Janusz Uklejewski and others, who had been documenting the major events in the history of the “Solidarity” movement.

The Phenomenon of Solidarity is part of an ongoing cooperative relationship between the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) and the Wilson Center’s Cold War International History Project.

The exhibition was prepared by the Public Education Office of the Institute of National Remembrance and will be on display in the Woodrow Wilson Center Memorial Hallway from August 29th through September 29th, 2011.

Exhibition Scenario – Dr. Łukasz Kamiński

Cooperation – Tomasz Gleb (FORUM), Anna Piekarska, Agnieszka Rudzińska

Design – Sylwia Szafrańska

Print – DUX Agency

08/30/11 The city of Detroit is a wreck and it has been that way for a long time. I took these photos on my first visit to the city – for a Tigers game – in July 1999 and was truly shocked by the level of destruction. It looked like post-war Berlin. Driving down the main thoroughfares I saw building after building – banks, stores, apartment houses – burnt out with every window broken, one right after another for miles.

It’s a human tragedy on an epic scale and the sight of this 20th century Pompeii is simply irresistible to photographers. “Detroit Disassembled: Photographs by Andrew Moore” just opened on Sunday at the Queens Museum of Art. The New York Times reports that there have been 3 books of photographs on the physical collapse of the city published in the last year. The backlash has been complaints from locals decrying a voyeuristic “ruin porn.”

08/27/11 The bustling Friday evening dinner crowd on Connecticut Avenue got a chance to see Woodley Park’s first-ever sidewalk fashion show last night  “Fashion Meets Art Runway Show” was presented by CARBON Boutique and International Visions Gallery
and featured Aidah Collection and other local, green designers.

[Wardrobe malfunction.]

08/26/11 VIP Preview of DC’s newest swanky underground nightspot, Opera Ultra Lounge on Thursday night.

08/25/11 Visitors came out in the pouring rain this afternoon to admire the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The dedication ceremony planned for Sunday to coincide with the 48th anniversary of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech has been postponed in response to the expected arrival of Hurricane Irene. The memorial is the 395th National Park Site in the National Park System according to a press release from the National Park Service.

[Nephew Eamonn and the amphibian.]

08/24/11 I spent this past weekend at my favorite place on earth – my family’s farm in the Hudson Valley – with my sister Kelly and brother Tim and 2 of our nephews.

[The old farmhouse.]

[Deer trail in the woods.]

[Neph Kieran by the banks of the mighty Hudson River in the town of Tivoli, NY.]

[Stream on Ryan Farm.]

[Eamonn and his Uncle Tim driving.]

[Kieran & Jenny.]

08/16/11 I passed this scene at 13th & Clifton Streets at around sundown tonight. I think it’s the DC Rollergirls lining up for a team portrait but I didn’t stop to ask. I was running late for an assignment.

08/15/11 Scenes from the Civil War Encampment Weekend at Sully Historic Site on Sunday afternoon. “Federal and Confederate troops recreate Civil War daily life as re-enactors demonstrate the varied work of the army. Skirmishes each day include infantry, artillery and cavalry.”