August 15, 2000

PHOTO EXHIBIT TO DEPICT SACRED SPACES IN LATIN AMERICA AND SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

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Temple I, Swallowed by Shadow of Temple II, Site of Tikal, Guatemala

The exhibition, titled Sacred Space: Man and the Divine in Mexico, Central America, and the Southwestern United States, features more than 200 photographs, many of them mural size, by Dallas photographer Carolyn Brown. It is being organized and presented free of charge by the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man at Southern Methodist University.

Sacred Space will transport visitors through 4,000 years of cultural history as they view sacred places from towering mountains and mystical ceremonial sites of the pre-Hispanic world to peaceful village churches and grand cathedrals of the 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition will express the majesty and richness of sacred traditions of diverse cultures and provide insights into their engineering, architectural and artistic achievements as well as their political and religious dimensions.

Images depicting spectacular landscapes, quiet places of worship and bustling village markets will be displayed on immense freestanding scaffolding divided into sections presenting various themes. Some of the scaffolding structures will be 30 feet tall, and some of the images will be more than 27 feet in size. Dallas architect Gary M. Cunningham designed the innovative freestanding installation to protect the walls and murals of the historic Hall of State and to be easily moved and reassembled for exhibition at other locations. Internationally recognized art scholar Richard R. Brettell is curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition is being presented in collaboration with the Dallas Historical Society, which operates the Hall of State for the City of Dallas, the Dallas Museum of Natural History and the Mexican Institute for International Cooperation within the Mexican Foreign Ministry.

Brown began photographing ancient architecture in Egypt in the early 1980s after doing postgraduate study in Cairo. She first journeyed to Mexico in 1991 to photograph pre-Hispanic archaeological sites and churches dating from the 16th century. On a series of trips supported by ISEM over eight years, she shot more than 20,000 photographs. More than 3,000 photos were considered in making the final selections for Sacred Space.

"This experience transformed my life," said Brown. "These ancient sites are especially fascinating because they are steeped in rich history and often reflect the patina of unbroken use through the centuries. The photographs of sweeping landscapes and small places of devotion -- all portraying God's handiwork -- are my attempt to depict, in the most beautiful way I know, the holy places belonging to these historic lands."

Façade Detail (Moon and Musician), Church of La Purísima Concepción de María, Jolalpan, Puebla, Mexico

Louis Jacobs, president of the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man, said, "The exhibition will enhance the visitors' understanding and appreciation of contributions of earlier cultures to the contemporary world of the American Southwest and Latin America. The experience of Sacred Space should be especially meaningful as a source of pride in Hispanic cultural heritage."

Plans for the exhibition include an outreach program for students in Dallas-Fort Worth area school districts. Following the Dallas showing, Sacred Space is expected to travel to other locations in the United States, Mexico and Guatemala.

"An understanding of our common cultural heritage is an essential element in strengthening the cooperation among Mexico, the United States and Central American countries," said Ambassador Jorge Alberto Lozoya, chief executive officer of the Secretariat for Iberoamerican Cooperation. "Certainly the Sacred Space exhibition has been designed with this high goal in mind."

Exhibition sponsors to date include The Color Place, Inc.; Eastman Kodak Company; UNIVISION 23/KUVN-TV; Hoblitzelle Foundation; Southwestern Bell Foundation; PANAMCO; CEMEX; The Meadows Foundation; Dallas Historical Society; Susan and Claude Albritton III; The Dallas Morning News; City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and Latino Cultural Center; Rotary Club of Mexico City; Rotary Club of Dallas; Today Foundation; Suzann Ruff; Michael Ruff; La Valentina de México; The Eugene McDermott Foundation; Haynes and Boone, LLP; Mission Foods; TXI/Aceros Chaparral; Lou Ann and Mike Corboy; former Governor and Mrs. William P. Clements; William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies at SMU; Lightolier; GE Lighting; Catholic Diocese of Dallas; Marsha Ard; Nena de León; Cathy Brittingham; Pamela Hull Wilson; Karina and Bob Woolley; Nancy and Barry Crossman; Dorothy and Robert Brammer Jr.; and Edmund Hoffman.

Serpent Mosaic with Ruler's Face, Nun's Quadrangle, Site of Uxmal, Uxmal, Yucatán, Mexico	Nave Ceiling, Church and Exconvento of Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, Mexico	Detail of Virgin, Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncíón de Zia, Zia Pueblo, New Mexico, USA	Waterfall, San Pedro Escanela, Querétaro, Mexico
Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Ocotlán, Ocotlán, Tlaxcala, Mexico	Church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, Great Pyramid of Cholula, Popocatépetl, Cholula, Puebla, Mexico	The logo for the Sacred Space exhibit.