Arts Council seeks photos for Afghanistan display

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Members of the Seymour Johnson community are being asked to submit their photos of daily life in Afghanistan for display consideration in the upcoming Arts Council of Wayne County "A Country, A People" exhibit.

The exhibit will showcase native Afghans and military members serving in the country, as well as highlight the culture and personnel experiences through discussion panels, food and music.

"The 'A Country, A People' exhibit and programs will educate the community about the unique and rich culture and history of the country," said Sarah Merritt, Arts Council of Wayne County executive director. "It will open up dialog about this important time in our country's history. Furthermore, the program will shed light on the central role of women in the U.S. military and the treatment of women in Afghanistan."

Mrs. Merritt formed the idea for this display after seeing photos her husband's co-worker took during their year-long deployment to Gardez, Afghanistan, where they worked with the Afghan National Army.

"This is a great way to learn more about the experiences of our military members and about the culture of Afghanistan; something that is very foreign to us civilians," Mrs. Merritt said.

To make the exhibit a success, Mrs. Merritt needs the help of the base community. She is soliciting photos from those who deployed to Afghanistan for the display. Submitted photos must meet the following guidelines:

· The photos must have been taken by the person submitting them.
· Submissions must be raw images saved as a jpeg.
· The submission must include the photographer's name, phone number, e-mail and address.
· Each photo's file name must include the photographer's last name and the title of the photo (i.e. merritt_KabulSunset.jpg)
· Photographers may submit up to 10 photos for exhibit consideration.
· Photographers should include a word document with a paragraph about each photo being submitted explaining what the photo is or the reason it was taken. The paragraph should identify what photo it goes to (i.e. merritt_KabulSunset.jpg).
· All submissions must be received no later than Nov. 22 to be cleared for release.

Anyone who has photos selected for display must sign a contract with the Arts Council.

"The contract is really to protect the people submitting photos," Mrs. Merritt said. "It says we only will print one photo for the exhibit, and that each photographer will be given credit for his/her work. It will also say that we will not alter photos."

For more information about photo submissions e-mail Mrs. Merritt at sarah@artsinwayne.org. Submissions can be e-mailed to Mrs. Merritt or by Senior Airman Makenzie Lang at makenzie.lang@seymourjohnson.af.mil.