Welcome Don…

As a prize for winning last year’s photography competition organised by Grace Heritage foundation, Brunei Tourism will be hosting renowned American photographer, Don Gurewitz.

Don will be in Brunei from 6th to 23rd July 2007, doing a pictorial coverage of the Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures. These photographs will be exhibited at the 4th US-ASEAN Film, Photography and Video Exhibition in Washington DC, later this year.

While in Brunei, Don will be accompanied by his brand spanking new Canon EOS 5D (grrrr!), taking pictures that will help to promote the Kingdom as a tourist destination, especially in the USA . He will also be part of the media team from Information Department to cover His Majesty’s 61st Birthday Celebration.

For local photogs, Don will hold a small talk on his travels and travel photography in general. This will be held at Dewan Setia Pahlawan, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources on Sunday, 8th of July 2007, at 2pm. Those interested to join, please contact Hj Yusof on 8732088 or yours truly on 8775530.

Perhaps no one respects people’s ability to persevere more than Don Gurewitz, who has traveled to over fifty countries spanning five continents, capturing dignity, grace, and creativity in those inhabiting earth’s nooks and crannies.

Making his living as a machinist for General Electric Co. in Lynn, Massachusetts, Gurewitz experienced frequent layoffs and yet has always taken full advantage of what he considers the mixed blessings of downsizing. He has spent any and all free moments traveling the world, finally taking advantage of a sizable number of frequent-flier miles accumulated while investigating labor issues abroad.

Gurewitz’s photography resonates with a social sensitivity bred from a lifetime of political activism. An entirely self-taught photographer, Gurewitz used the camera as a journalistic tool during the Civil Rights movement, anti-war demonstrations, and while dodging bullets during the civil wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador.