Images
of War and Celebrations of Peace
The
Dan Eldon traveling exhibition is
a powerful, affecting tribute to a young artist and his rich,
brief life. Containing photographs from Dan’s work in
Somalia with the news agency Reuters, large reproductions of
his collages, and a variety of art supplies and personal belongings,
the exhibit has inspired audiences in six countries.
During his last year of life, Dan Eldon—the son of a British
father and American mother who grew up in Kenya—was among
a small cadre of journalists who alerted the world to a major
famine in Somalia. As many as 1,000 people a day were starving
to death when Newsweek, Time, and many international
daily newspapers began to pick up Dan’s images in 1992.
According to his bureau chief at Reuters, Dan shot some of the
finest images of the horrors of the tragedy that was then Somalia.
Although
a decade has passed, Eldon’s images remain fresh and relevant.
A photograph of an American Marine with a gun to the head of
a bound Somali, trying to maintain control of an increasingly
chaotic situation, reverberates with today’s viewers.
As do Eldon’s collages—sometimes meditative, sometimes
joyful, often humorous—which he began keeping at age 15
and maintained until his death. Together with the photographs,
they are an inspiring record of what it means to grow up in
a complex world with one’s eyes and ears wide open.
Dan’s
story has become familiar to audiences through two books highlighting
his art, The Journey Is the Destination
and Dan Eldon: The Art of Life; a documentary
by his sister Amy, Dying to Tell the Story;
and through various segments about him on National Geographic
television, Oprah, CNN, FoxNews, and other national and international
media outlets. A major, independent motion picture about Dan’s
life is currently in the works.