War.
Some of the first ever photographers were war photographers employed by the War Department for the (American) Civil War. It's an education to look at those photos in the context of current journalistic practice. We do not show dead bodies in the American press today, and we have not had a war on American soil for generations.
But other countries have had war. And the war photographer experience continues. They have documented it. One item that has come to my attention is the book and film The Bang Bang Club, about wartime photographers in South Africa. One was killed and one was crippled. Never happy ending.
But in peaceful Portland, war is remote. An opportunity to hear about war photography is rare. Today you can though. A few photographers who have made war photography in Iraq are interviewed by a curator on the experience.
At the Portland Art Museum. In the Masonic Temple building, ask for the room. Organized by the Photography Council of the Portland Art Museum. Noon-1PM Free
