The Gift of Life Exhibition – Opening Night!!!!

Finally! It’s time…this Thursday night (Feb 4th) will be the opening night for the Gift of Life exhibition. I have been planning and coordinating this project for the past 5 months?!? (sure seems crazy how much time has gone by), and now the night is finally here. For more details about this project and the exhibition, click here.

I picked up the framed prints from Eric this afternoon and boy, do they look fantastic! Each picture is accompanied with a write-up which tells the story of the subject in each photograph. Each of the story is touching and beautiful in its unique way.

Here are the 14 submissions from various photographers around Vancouver:

Here is one of the submissions as it will look in the gallery Thursday night!

This project started off as a personal idea, and grew into a community project. Along the journey there were many mentors and helping hands, each contributing in their unique way.  There are a few people I want to acknowledge here:

Eric Stewart (Langara College) - This man has been instrumental in enabling this project from the get-go. From managing the photo submissions to printing, from designing the posters to retrofitting the frames, this man is behind it all. I only asked once from the inception of the project, and Eric has been fully onboard ever since.  As a new dad and with many responsibilities at his job, Eric has all the reasons to back down from his commitment but he never did. Thank you Eric for your commitment and your hard work. It’s been a pleasure working with you.

Ian Hern (BonMatch Albums) - The generosity of this local custom album company has been inspirational, particularly with Ian as the enthusiastic representative! Since the initial contact (thanks to Amy Lee), BonMatch has been our supporter. They donated all 14 of the beautifully crafted leather frames for the show. Thank you Ian and BonMatch.

Ehren Salazar (Little Mountain Gallery) - It was by chance when I walked into Ehren’s gallery and met him 3 months ago. It didn’t take much for me to explain The Gift of Life project to Ehren and for him to agree donating the space. After having much difficulty locating a suitable venue, Ehren saved the day by generously donating the space for the show. Thank you Ehren.

Jessica Pang - Jessica has been a long time family friend. Despite having lost touch with her for a while, she rose to the occasion by volunteering to help as soon as she learned about the project. She diligently edited some of the write-ups, located many more venues/organizations that are interested in hosting the show around the Lower Mainland, and helped put up promotional posters for the show. Thank you for your enthusiasm and support!

There are also many others including Don MacGregor, who has been an important mentor in the early stages of the project; Amy Lee, Amber Hughes, Tracey Heppner who promoted and helped contact potential sponsors.

This is truly a community project and I am proud to be a part of it.

Hope to see you all on Thursday night!