WEEK'S BEST/Living Legends Gathered in Exhibition

Photo by Nina Tisara Alice Merrill & Linda Odell are two Living Legends set to be honored at the “The Gathering of the Legends” photography exhibition this August.

ALEXANDRIA, VA- Meet Alexandria's Living Legends of 2009-2010 at “The Gathering of the Legends” photo exhibition, presented by the Del Ray Artisans, August 6 to 22.
 
The exhibition is the culmination of this year's Living Legends of Alexandria program and will feature 30 of Alexandria's recent history makers, many of whom will be in attendance at the opening reception on Friday, August 13, 7-10 p.m. at the Del Ray Artisans Association in Del Ray. The event has been rescheduled from Aug. 6 after a freak summer storm knocked out power at the venue.
 
Twelve individuals or teams were selected from among the nominees as the 2009-2010 Living Legends of Alexandria – Chet Avery, Rosalind Bovey, V. Rodger Digilio, Nelson A. Green, Sr., Alice Merrill and Linda Odell, T. Michael Miller, John Porter, Joan and John Renner, David G. Speck, Pat Troy, Lois Walker, and Betty R. Wright.
 
Their stories and photographs have appeared in the local press including the Alexandria Gazette Packet, LocalKicks.com, and AlexandriaNews.org. and will be published in a catalog available at the opening reception.
 
An Artist's Talk on the theme of the Art of Photojournalism is scheduled for Thursday, August 12, 7-8:30 p.m.
 
The project was conceived in the fall of 2006 by artist-photographer Nina Tisara in response to requests for photographs of people who were no longer living.
 
When the photos were not available in the Tisara Photography archives, she devised a system for creating the photos and the accompanying stories.
 
Past Legends have included educators, artists, arts advocates, clergy, business people, lawyers, and community activists.
 
The photographs and documentary materials are donated to the Special Collections Department of Alexandria Library where they are archived and available for future research.
 
Requests for nominations are published regularly in the press and actively solicited from the community.
 
To nominate a future Legend or for more information, visit www.AlexandriaLegends.com.
 
Living Legends of Alexandria is an ongoing photo-documentary project to identify, honor, and chronicle Alexandria's recent history makers.
 
The Living Legends project recognizes those individuals whose vision and dedication have made a tangible difference to the quality of life in Alexandria.
 
Major sponsors of this year's program are the Rotary Club of Alexandria, Virginia Dominion Power and McEnearney Associates. Media sponsors include Founding Sponsor Alexandria Gazette Packet, AlexandriaNews.org and LocalKicks.com. Living Legends of Alexandria is a 501(c)(3) corporation.
 
The exhibition will be at the Del Ray Artisans gallery at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301.
 
Gallery hours are: Thursdays, 12 noon to 4 pm (First Thursdays, 12 noon to 9 pm); Fridays, 12 noon to 9 pm; Saturdays, 10 am to 9 pm; and Sundays, 12 noon to 6 pm. The gallery is free, open to the public and handicap accessible. For more information or directions, please visit www.TheDelRayArtisans.org.
 
For more information about Living Legends or the exhibition, contact Nina Tisara, Curator, at 703-625-2330 or via email at alexandrialegends@earthlink.net.