Images of War/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.

Exhibit Requests

For information about availability and requests for the exhibition to a gallery or school near you, please contact Joey Borgogna at joeyborgogna@creativevisions.org

Where it’s been…so far…

Oklahoma University, Santa Monica College, Wellesley College, Boston College, Columbia University, Duke University, Edmonds Community College – WA State, Saba Gallery – New York, Hamilton Gallery – London, England, University of Tel Aviv – Israel, UNESCO – Paris, Sundance Film Festival

What They’re Saying…