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
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- EIN 25-1396717
- info@silvereye.org
- (412) 431-1810
- 4808 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh PA 15224 USA
- www.silvereye.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Arts & Culture, Arts, Culture & Humanities, Arts Education, Visual Arts
Mission: The mission of Silver Eye is to promote and foster the exploration, appreciation and understanding of historic and contemporary image making and related media. We are a unique destination, meeting place and focal point for activity that encourages creative practice, intellectual inquiry, lifelong learning and technical innovation. We aim to connect diverse photographers, enthusiasts, students, educators and members from around the globe to one another and to new work, ideas, knowledge that can enhance personal, creative and professional growth and enrich civic life.
Programs: This year’s exhibition schedule features 17 onsite exhibitions, four online juried exhibitions and two collaborative shows. Admission remains free and programming levels have been maintained at the same level as in the past few years.
Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania artists are extremely well-represented in most of these exhibitions and for some, like Randy Olson and Melissa Farlow, their appearance at Silver Eye marks their first major show in Pittsburgh and the region. While recognizing the works of emerging and established artists from the region is a major priority, Silver Eye is also noted for its exhibitions of both historic and contemporary masters of photography.
The World at Our Door
September 23, 2009 – January 2, 2010
Pittsburgh’s Melissa Farlow and Randy Olson are award-winning documentary photographers (as well as husband and wife) and long-time contributors to National Geographic magazine. This is the couple’s first joint exhibition and features 50 large-scale color images from assignments published in National Geographic between 2003 and 2009.