FORMER UN PHOTOGRAPHER and OLYMPUS VISIONARY SPEAKS AT BANANA FACTORY
BETHLEHEM, PA—"Former United Nations photographer and Olympus Visionary John Isaac will showcase and discuss his three decades of work as a photojournalist during "Reflections of My Journey," a special artist's talk at the Banana Factory, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem, Pa., on May 17 from 4-6 p.m. John's appearance is in conjunction with his exhibition at the Banana Factory sponsored by Olympus. The John Isaac lecture is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.
From 1978-98, Isaac served as an official photographer for the UN. During that time he visited more than 100 countries, documenting world crises such as the Cambodian Killing Fields, the war in Lebanon, the invasion of Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq War, the famine in Ethiopia, the genocide in Rwanda and the war in Bosnia. In 1998, he retired as Chief of the UN's Photo Unit and shifted his focus to his love of nature, photographing birds, mammals and landscapes around the world.
Isaac's work earned him numerous honors and awards, including Picture of the Year from the Missouri School of Journalism, Best Photograph of the Year from Graphis Magazine, Professional Photographer of the Year from the PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Photographic Council. In addition, he authored many books and served as the official "History Tour" photographer for Michael Jackson.
During his Banana Factory talk, Isaac will present a slide show in the Olympus Digital Imaging Center featuring his award-winning images, as well as talk about the stories behind the photos. Isaac will also discuss the inspirations behind the 30 large-scale images that are included in his Banana Factory exhibition, “Reflections of My Journey,” which is on display at the art center through June 29. In addition, he will share tips and tricks on how to take better photographs and end his presentation with a question-and-answer session.
The Banana Factory is a nonprofit community art center and gallery featuring 28 studio artists, the GlassWorks glass studio, Olympus Digital Imaging Center, community classrooms, the Gallery Shoppe and more. The art center offers diverse outreach programs, arts-in-education programs and classes and workshops throughout the year. Its mission is “to kindle, support and celebrate the artistic, cultural and creative spirit of the Lehigh Valley.” For more information, call 610-332-1300 or visit
www.bananafactory.org.
Janice Lipzin, Director
Visual Arts and Education
Banana Factory
www.bananafactory.orgjlipzin@fest.org610.332-1303
