The Person in Front of You: Photographs from West Africa

"The Person in Front of You: Photographs from West Africa," features photos by Los Altos-based photographer David Pace and Kathy Knowles of Osu Children's Library Fund

in Canada. David Pace is a lecturer in art and art history at Santa Clara University. Pace's photos, taken during his 2007 stay in Bereba, a small isolated village in the West African country of Burkina Faso, capture aspects of daily life. They feature women as they go about making pottery, weaving cotton cloth in traditional patterns, and caring for children; children joyfully surround the village librarian during a weekly storytime or are profiled in thoughtful moments in front of their thatch homes; and men are observed fingering prayer beads, talking in the shade of a rare tree, or gathering for a community event. Kathy Knowles founded Osu Children's Library Fund (OCLF) over fifteen years ago to give young African children the joy of reading by providing access to storybooks. Knowle's photographs grew out of a desire to provide children with colorful books that reflect their own cultures and physical environments. Her beautiful color photos of children and adults in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and Tanzania give Westerners a flavor of the experiences and daily lives of a region far different in appearance, yet similar in the essentials, to their own.

There will be a special opening reception on Sunday, May 11, 2008 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM on the 2nd Floor, Rooms 225/229 of the King library. For more information contact: Deborah L. Garvey at dlgarvey@gmail.com.