Prepare to Be Inspired! Positive Exposure Photography Exhibition Opens at George Eastman Museum
Two Weeks Only from October 2 to October 18
Download Positive Exposure Flier
Photographer Rick Guidotti to Speak October 1
Democrat and Chronicle – Eastman House exhibit showcases disability in new light
WXXI – Photographer Aims to Change Perceptions of People with Disabilities
The Golisano Foundation is pleased to present the photographic exhibition, Positive Exposure – Change How You See, See How You Change, on view for two weeks only October 2-18, 2015 at George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY. Positive Exposure features three collections of photographic portraits taken by internationally renowned photographer Rick Guidotti. Guidotti has spent 15 years working to effect a sea change in societal attitudes toward individuals living with genetic difference. The award-winning former fashion photographer, founded and directs Positive Exposure, an innovative nonprofit arts, education, and advocacy organization that explores the social and psychological experiences of people living with genetic, physical, cognitive, and behavioral differences
This exhibition represents the premiere of twenty portraits of people living with intellectual disabilities and provides the opportunity to see beyond all labels or disabilities. This exhibition presents our ambassadors as the beautiful, vibrant individuals that they are. Prepare to be inspired!!!
The exhibition also includes new images from the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, and a collection of images from Positive Exposure
Exhibition Details
WHEN: October 2-18, 2015
WHERE: George Eastman Museum, 900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607. Regular museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10AM to 5 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM. Closed Mondays
ADMISSION:: Admission to view the Positive Exposure Exhibition is free. Guests wishing to visit the rest of the museum may do so at regular admission rates: $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, $5 for students with valid ID and free for museum members and children 12 and under.
This exhibition is part of the Golisano Foundation’s 30th Anniversary celebration. The Foundation, established by Tom Golisano, works to provide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with pathways to self-sufficiency, personal dignity, and the best possible expression of their abilities and talents throughout their lifetimes.
Rick Guidotti’s Positive Exposure
For the last 15 years Guidotti’s passion has been to show the humanity and beauty of people living with genetic, physical, cognitive and behavioral differences. The award-winning former fashion photographer is the founder and director of Positive Exposure, a NYC-based non-profit arts, education and advocacy organization that explores the social and psychological experiences of people.
Rick Guidotti has worked for clients such as Yves Saint Laurent, Elle, and Harpers Bazaar. Now he is working to affect a sea change in societal attitudes towards individuals living with genetic differences.
His work has been widely published in the world’s leading newspapers, magazines and journals including Elle, GQ, People, the American Journal of Medical Genetics, The Lancet, Spirituality and Health, the Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly and Life Magazine.
Rick Guidotti’s Positive Exposure photo and video presentation explores the social and psychological experiences of people living with genetic, physical, cognitive and behavioral conditions of all ages and ethno-cultural heritages. Positive Exposure provides new opportunities to see individuals living with a genetic difference first and foremost as a human being with his/her own challenges rather than as a specific diagnosis/disease entity.
Guidotti’s work is also the focus of the new film On Beauty, which recently premiered to rave reviews in Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere around the country. In the film, director Joanna Rudnick followed Guidotti, who grew tired of seeing the same ideal of beauty “spit up at us constantly.” Disillusioned by the industry, in a moment of serendipity, Guidotti walked by a young woman with Albinism (a genetic condition that results in loss of pigmentation in the hair and eyes) at a NYC bus stop, and wondered why she wasn’t considered beautiful in his other world. This exploration resulted in a show-stopping magazine spread for Life Magazinefeaturing young women with Albinism smiling out from under the headline “Redefining Beauty.”
For more information on Rick Guidotti’s work see:
George Eastman Museum
George Eastman Museum holds unparalleled collections, totaling more than four million objects, of photographs, motion pictures, cameras and technology, and photographically illustrated books. Established as an independent nonprofit institution in 1947, it is the world’s oldest photography museum and third largest film archive in the United States. The museum is located in Rochester, NY, on the National Historic Landmark estate of George Eastman, the innovator of popular photography and motion picture film.
