40 Years Focusing on Social Issues Facing America
An Evening with Ken Light



Thursday, April 29, 6:30-8:00pm

Looking for a good way to celebrate Earth Day? Come visit the Annenberg Space for Photography to see the WATER: Our Thirsty World exhibit. Use environmentally-friendly transportation to get here on Thursday, April 22, and you can receive a complimentary copy of National Geographic's special issue on the precarious state of the world's fresh water. Just show us proof of your eco-travel methods - such as a bus transfer, walking shoes or your bike helmet - to receive the magazine for free.

On April 29, the IRIS Nights series continues with a lecture by photographer Ken Light. For 40 years, Light has focused on America's social issues; rural Mississippi, coal mining communities, Texas' death row, illegal immigration, migrant farm workers, child labor and more. In the last three years, he has looked deeper into his own backyard and discovered an unseen story: the environmental challenges in California's Great Central Valley, where water is a vital but waning resource.

As the Valley grows in size and population, the reckless manner of development looms over the future of its farmland. Through his images, Light reveals that the Valley is on the verge of social, economic and environmental disaster brought on by drought, pollution and economic calamity. His examination of this local conundrum contains a broader lesson for us all, as history has illustrated that civilizations have been shattered by the destruction of their farmland.

Light's photography has been widely published in several books and publications such as Newsweek, Paris Match, and the New Yorker, as well as broadcast worldwide on shows such as "60 Minutes." His work has been shown internationally in over 200 exhibitions. He is serves on the faculty at the Graduate School of Journalism at U.C. Berkeley and Director of its Center for Photography.

To register for this lecture, please click here. Additional tickets will be released tomorrow, Thursday, April 22 at 9:30am. We recommend that you make your reservations soon, as our lectures tend to fill up quickly.

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(Click on any of the images on the left to read more on our blog.
All images © Unique for the Space.)

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