Date

12-2009

Degree Name

BFA in Art and Design

Department

Art and Design Department

Advisor(s)

Sky Bergman

Abstract

The goal of this project is to effectively document the work of a missionary in order to bring awareness to his or her work as a missionary and as a humanitarian in general. Not only do I want to bring awareness, but I would also like to spark interest of that work in a large audience of viewers. I am interested in capturing the full spectrum of missionary work and being able to convey the work in a coherent way. I will use the photographs of other great humanitarians, photojournalists, and documentary photographers as examples. The photographs that I will use for this project were taken in Thailand and Burma this past summer, as I spent a month immersed in the work of a missionary to the Karen people. The images captured on this expedition will be printed and displayed at the Kennedy Library. The theme of this event will be to present the work of a missionary among the Karen people in Thailand and Burma in a way that conveys that missionaries are humanitarians of love and peace and not solely preachy gospel mongers. A secondary theme is bringing awareness to the plight of the Karen people in Thailand and Burma. This project marks the beginning of my career as a documentary photographer in the mission field.