Voss Foundation presents “The Dogon”
“The Dogon”was exhibited in October at Blomqvist Kunstauksjoner in Oslo. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre opened the exhibition. Here he is with photographer Stuart Franklin. Photo courtesy of the Voss Foundation.
Exhibit of limited-edition photo series supports the Voss Foundation’s efforts to provide African villages with clean water
By Christy Olsen Field
Copy Editor
A collection of 15 photographs by renowned photographer Stuart Franklin will be on exhibit at Heiberg Cummings Design in New York City, Jan. 14-31. The sale of these photographs will increase awareness of the global water crisis and the Voss Foundation’s work, helping to fund additional water projects in Africa.
The Voss Foundation was founded in 2008 after Knut Brundtland took a trip to Africa where he saw firsthand the magnitude of the global water crisis. As the CEO of Voss water, Brundtland felt he had a responsibility to provide access to clean drinking water to those in need. By focusing on a combination of well-digging, pumping, and piping, the Voss Foundation is able to bring clean water to schools, agriculture, and support communities. The Voss Foundation operates with a very small staff and dedicated volunteers in New York and Norway, and works with grass-roots partners in Africa to employ local people with connections to the community.
In early 2009, the directors at the Voss Foundation wanted to find a way to document their work and provide a visual reference point for people.
“We found Stuart Franklin from Magnum Photos, who is well-known for his Tiananmen Square photography. His work tells a very powerful story, and resonates with the viewer,” said Kara Gerson, the executive director at the Voss Foundation.
Franklin was commissioned to photograph the Voss Foundation’s work in the Dogon region of Mali, focusing on women and water. His trip to Mali in May 2009 resulted in a series of high-quality photos depicting the life of a desert landscape, where water is paramount in the daily struggle to survive.
Of the photographs taken, 15 images have been chosen to be produced in a limited edition collection to be sold to benefit the Voss Foundation. The sale of these photographs will increase awareness of the global water crisis and the Voss Foundation’s work, helping to fund additional water projects in Africa. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre opened the exhibit in Oslo.
The Voss Foundation teamed up with Heiberg Cummings Design in New York City to exhibit “The Dogon,” Jan. 14-31. The exhibit will be opened by Knut Brundtland, chair of the Voss Foundation, on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m., and the public is invited to attend.
The 15 photographs, signed and numbered, are available in two different sizes for $3,000 and $5,000. Proceeds from the print run can fund up to 10 more water projects. The photographs will continue to be exhibited globally with viewings currently being planned in Bergen, New York, and Washington, D.C.
For more information about the Voss Foundation, visit www.thevossfoundation.org.
This article was originally published in the Jan 8, 2010 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. For more information about the Norwegian American Weekly or to subscribe, call us toll free (800) 305-0217 or email subscribe@norway.com.
