Growing up in Pittsburgh, Silver Eye was an important part of my photography education. As a high school student first becoming interested in photography, I was exposed to a wide variety of photography through Silver Eye and to the power and value of photographic prints as material objects. Even after moving away from Pittsburgh, I would try to visit SE whenever back in town.
After many years away I moved back to Pittsburgh and I've been excited by the new directions taken by Silver Eye. I was honored to have the opportunity to curate the exhibition currently on display at Silver Eye, HomeFrontLine: Reflections on 10 Years of War Since 9/11, with executive director Ellen Fleurov. I'm very proud of this show, which includes the work of world class photojournalists and documentary photographers. I hope it will encourage visitors to think about the effects of war and the ways in which photography is currently being used to tell important stories creatively.
And, just as visiting Silver Eye as a teenager made an impact on me by showing me some of what was possible in photography, so I also hope that HomeFrontLine might have some impact on visitors to the show who may be starting out with photography, or who are pursuing careers in photography or journalism.
Silver Eye is a small organization and it depends on local support. I sincerely hope that anyone interested in the possibilities of photography will take the opportunity offered by the Pittsburgh Foundation to make a matched contribution to Silver Eye, and also to keep up with the programming at Silver Eye. I was lucky to have it here twenty-some years ago and feel lucky that it is here now, and so I encourage others to support this organization.
Leo Hsu