Evanescence: Neil Berkowitz, Thelma Harris, and Lisa Parsons
February 14th – March 14th, 2019
Artist Panel Discussion and Closing Reception
Thursday, March 14th, 12-1pm
Evanescence. n. The event of fading and gradually vanishing from sight. Neil Berkowitz, Thelma Harris and Lisa Parsons respond to the idea of place uniquely from an ephemeral and abstracted sense of being in layered digital photography manipulation, to reflections on time and personal history through dimensional Polaroid wall and pedestal installations, to preservation of our natural world in the documentation of landscape. Together, these artists play off of each other’s profound conception of place and time through the lens and experimentation of photography, making the fleeting nature of time tangible.
Through my passion to promote conservation of the Green River Gorge Greenway I developed a love of conservation photography. I bought my first digital camera in 2001 and began documenting the unique beauty and wildness of the Green River Gorge. It has been 18 years and I'm still surprised by something new or something that has changed along the river corridor. I've changed cameras over the years but not my mission to document and preserve the Gorge.
The photos weren't just "pretty pictures" but something more. A documentary of a moment in time when the river still supports wildlife and fisheries. A time when underwater springs still flow out of the hillsides and contribute cold water into a vital system. A time when trees fill the rim of the Gorge and sandstone cliffs create solitude in a river gorge near over 2 million people.
Time is fleeting. Our time to act to conserve the Green River Gorge is not. Look around you and you'll see opportunities lost and opportunities taken to conserve important aspects of our interconnected landscape.
I've worked with stakeholders; King County; Washington State Parks; Forterra; Black Diamond; and others to bring millions of dollars into the middle Green River watershed. With funding from grants and other sources we were able to buy up key lands along the Gorge and restore habitat, but there is still more we can do to keep the Gorge intact.
Working with King County Council members Reagan Dunn and Pete Von Reichbauer, Doug Osterman (WRIA9 Salmon Recovery Coordinator), and Nora Hightower (Doreen Johnson’s daughter) to recognize the contributions of Doreen Johnson for her work in conservation of the Green-Duwamish River.
Presentation and photo exhibition on the Green River Gorge in Georgetown in Seattle
Part of my outreach to promote conservation is to take the images of this rugged gorge to the community and to decision makers to show why it is worth directing effort towards conservation. On February 14th I will be exhibiting some of my images as part of a group show at the Green River Community College from February 14 thru March 14th. Please join me on March 14th for a discussion panel and the closing day of the exhibit to learn more about my work and the works of the two other photographers; Neil Berkowitz and Thelma Harris.
In 2016 I hiked the entire 14 mile long Green River Gorge from the Headworks below the Howard Hanson dam to Flaming Geyser State Park. Here I am hiking (and swimming) a section of the river with my niece and two dogs.