GILA: Michael Berman

February 2, 2013 – February 16, 2013

February 2-16, 2013

516 ARTS and New Mexico Wilderness Alliance presented a joint fundraising event to celebrate the premiere of Guggenheim Fellow Michael Berman’s new book, Gila: Radical Visions, The Enduring Silence. His black and white photographs of the Gila Wilderness offer a wordless exploration into this complex and subtle landscape. Complementing the stunning photos, the book includes essays by Charles Bowden, Philip Connors, Martha S. Cooper, Dave Foreman, Alex Muñoz, Sharman Apt Russell, M. H. Salmon, Patrick Toomay and others, all inspired by the Gila Wilderness.

Over 80 of Michael’s photographs from the book were displayed at 516 ARTS February 2 – 16, 2013 as part of this fundraising project.

ABOUT MICHAEL P. BERMAN

Michael Berman’s black-and white photographs of the Gila Wilderness offer a wordless exploration into this complex and subtle landscape. For more than thirty years, he has explored the vast Gila, fascinated by the land and how people use and value it. He has wandered deep into the forest with his large-format camera, searching for the untrammeled and solitary ecosystems, allowing the Gila to reveal itself. In his new book, Gila: Radical Visions, The Enduring Silence, the untouched specialness of the Gila is captured in Berman’s photographs and explored in fifteen essays by noted writers, natural historians, and environmentalists. A former Guggenheim fellow and 2012 recipient of the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, Berman’s works have been exhibited throughout the country and are in numerous public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Amon Carter Museum. He lives in the Mimbres Valley, bordering the Gila Wilderness.

Press

Leigh Hile, “Berman’s Quixotic View of the Gila Wilderness on Display at 516 Arts” Alibi

Adrian Gomez, “Photographer funds Gila forest” Albuquerque Journal