GFDD and FUNGLODE New Perspectives: Dominican Republic; Photo Exhibit Evokes Tropical Island Sensation

New York, June 8, 2012

On June 7, 2012, a Brooklyn elementary school gym was magically transformed into an island paradise at the opening reception of New Perspectives: Dominican Republic Photo Exhibit. Principle Cristina Fuentes said that the exhibit allowed those attending to experience “the real sensation of being on an idyllic tropical Caribbean island”, especially one as beautiful as the Dominican Republic.

PS 24 elementary School, located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, is the first public school in the New York City school system to put on a display of over 40 aerial photos images of the lesser known areas of the DR in partnership with GFDD and FUNGLODE. It is one of 23 elementary schools in New York City and serves 767 students of which 92% are of Hispanic descent, including many Dominicans.

Myriam Victoria, PS 24 Leader in Education at its Dual Language School for International Studies, first conceived of the idea of bringing the images to the NYC public school system after having experienced the exhibit at FUNGLODE, GFDD’s sister institution in the DR. She felt it was important that the exhibit be seen by the Hispanic community in New York to not only educate but also to serve as a source of pride for all the students and teachers in the school system who identify with the culture.

Yamile Eusebio, Director of the GFDD NY office, enthusiastically told the gathered crowd of students & educators of her pride in presenting this collection of breathtaking images of landscapes throughout Dominican Republic. She recounted how the exhibit got its genesis when in 2004, GFDD Executive Director Natasha Despotovic, and photographer Anna Casale, during a routine flight from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana, first came up with the idea of capturing aerial images of the stunning and diverse landscape passing below them and then presenting these pictures in the form of a book.

The subsequent success of the book was so overwhelming, the decision was made to create a traveling photo Exhibit which to date has been seen by thousands in countries around the world.

As well as thanking the school for its partnership, Yamile mentioned that behind the exhibit was a group of individuals that made it all possible, including Natasha Despotovic, GFDD Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief; photographer Anna Casalé; Project Director Semiramis de Miranda; Communications and Outreach Manager Margaret Hayward,; Administrative Assistant Kenia Hernández; and Alex Tabar and Braudin Eusebio, both from the GFDD Multimedia department.

In addition, a special note of thanks was given to the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN), which operates a network of telecommunication facilities to advance the educational, social, cultural, and economic aspirations of Hispanics, and which will be covering the exhibit as part of its “En Foco” program.

The New Perspectives Dominican Republic photo exhibit runs from June 4-13, 2012. Admission to the exhibit is free and open to the public daily from 4 - 6PM

For more information: info@newperspectivesdominicanrepublic.com or 212 751-5000

Links
http://www.hitn.tv/