Tony O’Brien’s New Book Debuts

Documentary Photographer Tony O’Brien’s New Book Debuts

Light in the Desert features images of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert

10.06.2011

Media Contact:
Maria Alexandra Velez
1-505-473-6682
maria.velez@santafeuniversity.edu

Santa Fe, N.M.—October 6, 2011—International photojournalist Tony O’Brien, professor of documentary photography at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, will debut his new book Light in the Desert: Photographs from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2011) on Oct. 23 during an opening at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe. The book presents the images O’Brien made during his 1994–95 stay at the monastery in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

“Tony’s new book truly captures the essence of his experience at the monastery,” said David Scheinbaum, chair of the Photography Department. “Tony is the embodiment of photojournalism, and our students are fortunate to have him as a professor who teaches not just by virtue of his mastery of technique—but fundamentally, by example.”

While on assignment in Afghanistan for Life magazine in 1989, O’Brien was captured and imprisoned by the Afghan government. After his release, O’Brien sought solace and perspective at the monastery, a small Benedictine community founded in 1964 and set in the Chama River Canyon Wilderness, about 75 miles north of Santa Fe. He returned again in 1994 to do a story and, in the process, became a practicing member of the community. During his yearlong stay, O’Brien was granted rare access to photograph the monastery and the daily activities and offices that have been kept in a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages.

“You sit in the chapel and the light dances throughout the day,” O’Brien said. “I began seeing differently. I began to slow down and become more aware of the light and the life around me.”

O’Brien’s camera became an instrument of contemplation and spiritual healing, his reverent photographs reflecting the harsh beauty and austerity of the monastery. In Light in the Desert’s accompanying essay, poet Christopher Merrill follows the daily offices of the monastery, weaving in threads of history, theology and spirituality.

Scheinbaum recalled the words of photographer Ralph Steiner, who said that although people think the photographer presses the camera’s shutter with a finger, it is the heart of the photographer who is pressing the shutter. “Tony is a testament to this,” Scheinbaum said. “He expresses his deep emotions and feeling through his photographs; they come not from his eyes or hands but from a deeper place in his heart.”

Born in New York City, O’Brien began his photography career in 1973 at the Santa Fe New Mexican. His work has appeared in national and international publications, including Life, Time, Newsweek and the New York Times Magazine. He has also worked with the Ford Foundation on a land-use project on the Zuni Pueblo, as well as a waterworks project in the colonias along the Texas/Mexico border for the Pew Charitable Trusts.

His work has been exhibited in the National Heritage Museum, Massachusetts; the Southeast Museum of Photography, Florida; the Adham Center Sony Gallery of Photography, Cairo, Egypt; and the Newseum in Washington, D.C. In 1990, O’Brien was awarded the first Eliot Porter Foundation Grant for his work in Afghanistan. He has taught documentary photography and was director of the Documentary Studies program at Santa Fe University of Art and Design (then the College of Santa Fe), where he is presently on the faculty at the Anne and John Marion Center for Photographic Arts. O’Brien is currently represented by Verve Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe.

Light in the Desert will be launched during the opening of Contemplative Landscape, the New Mexico History Museum’s exhibition of black-and-white photographs that explore the emotional and ceremonial purposes of spirituality in various New Mexico locations and landscapes. The opening reception, lecture and book signing will take place in the museum’s auditorium on Oct. 23 from 1–4 p.m.

Santa Fe University of Art and Design offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Photography. The Photography and Art departments are housed in the Visual Arts Center, a series of interconnected buildings designed by award-winning architect Ricardo Legorreta. The Anne and John Marion Center for Photographic Arts features state-of-the-art specialized darkrooms, as well as studios for alternative processes, digital work and print preservation. Students also have access to the Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Library, a non-circulating special collections library that is one of the top informational resources in the United States on the history, aesthetics and technology of photography.

About Santa Fe University of Art and Design
Santa Fe University of Art and Design, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, provides students with a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines practical experience with core theory to prepare graduates to become well-rounded, creative problem-solving professionals. The curriculum is designed to inspire creativity, passion and outstanding performance in contemporary music, creative writing, performing arts, art, graphic design, moving image arts (filmmaking and video production), photography, business and education. Its location, in one of the world’s leading centers for art and design, provides a perfect setting for learning in a city where creativity and innovation are central to the community. For more information, visit www.santafeuniversity.edu.

Santa Fe University of Art and Design (formerly the College of Santa Fe) is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.