Dear Friends,

I seem to tell myself that I am going to make entries on a more regular basis and then time passes. Now I will catch you up, dear readers, with my latest activities.

First during from September 22 to October 28th I have had 50 images at The Basset Gallery at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, a wonderful gallery in Camden, South Carolina. I was chosen to open their season. My husband and I packed up our Prius and Drove stoping to see my Afghan American friend Fahima Vorgetts on the way catching up on her most recent visit to Afghanistan and a followup to Mir Taqui Shah where  together with Women Against War supported the construction of a clean drinking water and irrigation well (see a previous blog entry and more will follow).

As you enter the gallery.

One wall contained images dedicated to Tom Little, who was killed August 5, 2010, and his work for the National Organization for Opthalmic Rehabilitation.

Images of NOOR and Tom Little.

To give some additional ambiance to a sense of Afghanistan I included some dressed dolls and handcrafts made by Afghan women.

A section concerning women.

While I was in Camden I spoke at 5 different schools both middle and High school classes.

Camden High School entrance.

I talked of the culture and the people and my work sharing numbers of my images. The students expressed interest and asked many questions.

Stover Middle School

Camden Middle School showing the students a burka.

Back in Albany I went straight to editing and printing for an exhibition of images from Ghana Good Morning Teacher at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 85 Chestnut Street, Albany, NY. These 41 photos will be on display for the African Family Night, Saturday November 5th from 5 to 8:30.  This is a fundraiser for the African projects that the church supports and there will be a diner of delicious African food. Please contact the church for more information at info@wpcalbany.org.

Opening panel.

Since all my frames where used for the exhibition in South Carolina, I decided to use Rare Earth Magnets and steel tacks to hang the unframed prints, which I think worked quite well for what has been basically a two night show.

The beautiful expressive children.

For the Albany first Friday event the church provided two wonderful musicians.

The next project was working with Women Against War Afghan Committee’s effort to draw attention to the continuation of the occupation of Afghanistan by bringing to the Capital District area an exhibition Windows and Mirrors. In 2009, the American Friends Service Committee seeking contributions for a traveling memorial to Afghan civilians who have died in the war. This community exhibit is a selection of 25 installations of the originals. The war in Afghanistan is now the longest in U.S history, yet for many of us it has been rendered largely invisible. This exhibition is an opening and an invitation to reflect upon the impact of this war on a civilian population caught in the crossfire. For details of the event surrounding these powerful banners check www.womenagainstwar.org.  We held a press conference to introduce the banners to the public.

The press conference at the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

This weekend the banners were at the Opalka gallery.

The Opalka Gallery

On October 25 a Peace rally  1oth Anniversary of the US War in Afghanistan. How is the War Economy Working For you?  I read a poem of Nadai Anjumon an Afghan women poet concerning the plight of Afghan women which has not changed and in some areas is the worst that it has been for some time.

Maureen Aumand leading the Grannies for Peace procession.

Grannies for Peace procession.

We were also blessed to have Congressmen Paul Tonko speak and support the effort to end the War in Afghanistan and bring our Troops home.

Congressman Tonko speaking against the War in Afghansitan.

As a last comment I wish to tank my husband who has supported my incredibly involved life and who feeds me both my heart and my belly in between all these events.

Frank Houd and David Easter.

And my dear friend if you have made it to the end of this post I thank you.  Please look for a future entry concerning the progress in the village in Afghanistan which we support and I hope we can continue to support as well as my next exhibit in Elmira, New York in November – Afghan Portraits: Windows to the Soul.

Ghana is a beautiful country full of many very hospitable people.

Country side

Mama Alice our Ghanaian organizer is an example of the powerful women who make a difference in the world not just their own country.

Mama Alice

Westminster Presbyterian Church, who sponsored this trip, published a brochure as a tribute to Mama Alice and used a number of my photographs. Here is a link to the pdf.

Ghanatrip11 Alice Tribute

Look for an announcement of an  exhibition of some of this work October 7th at Westminster Presbyterian Church for the October 1st Friday in Albany.  I hope to see you there.

Watching the littlest one while the family prepares fufu for the cafe.

Invitation

Hello,

This has been a busy beginning of the summer for me and will continue to be so.. In just a short time I begin a journey for two weeks to Ghana with a team of 14 from Westminster Presbyterian Church.  We will be focusing on the UN Millennial Development Goals toward eradicating extreme poverty, universal primary education, gender equality and women empowerment, reduction in child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and Malaria, environmental sustainability, develop global partnerships for development.  All in 2 weeks?!! We will take our part.

This is a new area of the world for me to travel so I really look forward to a whole new experience. It will be a fun to see just what my preconceived notions are.  I already know from photographs that I really don’t have a clear image of this part of the world.

I will be making entries to this blog and the church also has a blog going that you might be interested in following.  http://www.wpcalbany.org/ghana-blog.html

On another note, I have another show going up at McGreevy Prolab.  It will be in place for 2 months and the opening reception will be August 5 – Albany’s 1st Friday.

Invitation

Look forward to seeing you all when I return.

Connie

It seems I am getting busier and busier.  I have two shows both with receptions tomorrow evening, June 3 for the Albany, New York, First Friday. The first is a 4 person show Childhood Through the Lens at the Social Art Gallery located at the Family & Children’s Service of the Capital Region, 650 Warren Street (462-6531). It is a large space on two floors in a relatively new building.  Warren Hamilton, Wendy MacRoberts, Jill Malouf and myself have filled the walls with images of children.  The reception begins at 5pm.  Here is a taste of my images in the show to wet your appetite for more.

Peruvian boy 1997

Similar expressions form children around the world.

The second — a solo show I titled Gone Fishing : Images from Vacation Spots.  You might be surprised at some of the locations represented in the selection of photographs. This is held at the Wine Bar & Bistro located at 200 Lark Street.  This is a little gem of a place with a very European feel. Great wall colors that enhance my photographs.  I will be there from about 6pm on enjoying a bite to eat.

Iguana, St John, Virgin Islands

Stoned creature, St John, Virgin Islands

Hope to see you at one of these events.

Hello all,

This may be short notice but here is my latest show.

Invitation

Rensselaerville is a wonderful “hill town” full of old houses and people with a lot of spirit. They will be holding an intercultural dialogue with open discussion at 2:00 PM on Saturday April 30, 2011. Screening at Conkling Hall of the award winning documentary film Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think followed by a panel of distinguished guests, including a local Iman and a vetern of the Iraq war, and moderated by a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter. A reception will follow. Free will donation. Reservations are advisable: call 518-797-3459 and leave a message.

12:00-6:00PM Art exhibit at the Way Out Gallery, featuring Kamil Chadirji’s engraved photographs of Iraq during the 1920′ and 1930′s and contemporary photographs from Afghanistan by photojournalist Connie Frisbee Houde. Opening reception is at 5:00PM. Exhibit can also be seen on May 7 and Sunday May 8th.

6:30 PM and 8:30 PM Community dinner (two seatings) at the Palmer House Cafe. Behroush Sharifi, culinary muse and spice supplier to the top chefs in the world is collaborating with Chef Bill Benson to create a “Saffron Smugglers” event. the 6-course menu is informed by the cuisines of India and the Middle East, all fashioned from local ingredients to create an All American feast. Molly O”Neill, author of One Big Table, will interview Sharifi between courses. The prix fixe meal is $40. For reservations call 518-797-3449.

Hope to see you there. In gratitude for all you interest and support.

Connie

©Maho Bay Sunrise, St John, Virgin Islands March 7, 2011

Dear friends,

It has been some time since I have made an entry to this blog.  I have had many ideas and many things to share. Somehow the tragedy I experienced in the August was more on my mind than I wanted to admit. Finding a “comfortable” place for my heart and soul has taken some time as I rethink and hopefully work to expand my outlook – a trip to the Adirondack’s in September was the beginning.

©Spitfire Lake, Adirondacks, New York September 7, 2010

A vacation with my husband and four very good friends at St John’s in the Virgin Islands has done wonders for trying my hand at a different type of photography. I hope that you will see my vision and soul in the beauty of the earth that I experienced there.

You are invited to an exhibition of new work.

Opening Reception
Friday March 25, 2011  5pm to 8pm Troy Night Out.
Artcentric 274 River Street, Troy, New York

©Anaberg Sugar Mill, St. John, Virgin Islands March 10, 2011

 

for more information call 518-272-4278

I have 11 photographs from the magic and majesty of the island; two from an October 2010 trip to Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA; and one from the Adirondack’s in September of 2010.

 

©Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA October 2010

If you can’t make the opening, Artcentric is open Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 11am to 6pm; Saturday 10 am to 5pm; Sunday 12 noon to 4pm or by appointment.

I do hope to see many of you there this Friday.

As I promised, here is the information concerning upcoming events.

September 15, 2010  7pm
Voices of the Women of Afghanistan
report on recent experiences traveling in Afghanistan
Schenectady County Public Library
99 Clinton Street, Schenectady, NY           518-388-4500

September 17, 2010  6:30 to 9:00  PM
Your are invited to hear
Connie Frisbee Houde
Report on August in Afghanistan

She will share her photographs and her recent experiences.

Women’s Cooperative Estalif, Afghanistan

Westminster Presbyterian Church, 85 Chestnut Street, Albany, New York

Donations gratefully accepted to assist with $1,000 donation to
Mir Taqi Shah Village Girls school for uniforms and to assist with trip expenses

6:30 to 7:00 light refreshments and sale of handcrafted items
made by Afghan women
and photographs taken on various journeys in Afghanistan

7:00 to 8:30  Photographic presentation and talk followed by questions

8:30 to 9:00 conversation and continued opportunities to
purchase photographs and handcrafts
For more information call 518-465-0582

October 1, 2010  5 to 7 PM
Opening reception for
Life Goes On
August in Afghanistan
Visions Gallery, 40 North Main Avenue, Albany

More information will follow.

Dear Friends,

It has been difficult for me to continue to make entires to my blog.  While I was traveling in Afghanistan I didn’t feel safe to continue to blog and after I got home I was working to recover and find a bit of normalcy.  That I found in working in my garden that was completely over grown.  My husband, frank and I worked to reclaim it and harvest the many juicy ripe tomatoes. We have been processing and “putting by” the produce.

The most grounding and healing piece so far was a short overnight in the Adirondacks where Frank had been when he heard the news about Tom’s untimely death. To ease his own grief he and another friend made a pew in a cathedral in the woods of old growth pines.  We made our pilgrimage to visit the bench and hang out with the loons.

The Tom Little Memorial Pew located in the Adirondacks which he loved.

Across the next few days I will be posting concerning several upcoming programs I will be giving concerning my experiences in Afghanistan this trip.  Please mark your calendars Friday September 17th talk back and fundraiser to pay for this last trip including a donation to the Mir Taqi Shah school for uniforms for the girls.  Life Goes ON — August in Afghanistan, a photography exhibit dedicated to Tom Little and the Nuristan Medical Eye camp team will have an opening reception first Friday October 1.  Watch for the particulars!

I wish to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the encouragement and support that you have given me as I dealt with the shock of Tom and his friends deaths and my own vulnerability as I traveled inAfghanistan.  It was very good to get home appreciating the safety and love on my own home, family and friends.

In graditude.

Connie

The Mourner.

By now many of you will have heard of the killing of the NOOR eye team led by my dear friend Tom Little. Tom was/is one of those special souls whose very life is dedicated to service – in Tom’s case service to the medical needs of the Afghan people.  It was a vital part of him just like his skin was a vital part of his being able to live. This was evident as I would follow him as he worked in Afghanistan.  Mr. Tom was deeply loved and respected by those who he worked with, helped medically or just talked with.  To watch him drop what he was doing to help examine someone’s eyes and give them a pair of corrective lens or deal with a medical issue with no questions asked was a treat. Then he would pick up where he had left off or move to the next task at hand.  That could have included fixing a piece of equipment, dealing with a government minister or organizing the next project, soothing a difficult relationship and, yes, always chasing the needed funding to keep the program running and expanding to cover as many of the needs as the program could.

It didn’t matter who you where or which side of the political conflict you were on. It was about the people and making their lives better and politic often got in the way. The conflicts were always considered and by no means dictated action. Tom knew that there was risk involved but this did not stop him from working to make a difference for the people he served in Afghanistan. This work was what he loved.

My last recollection of Tom was in July when he was in the US for a short time.  We were sitting under the wysteria on my back porch around a table filled with good food surrounded by family and friends. As would always seem to happen, I was filled with questions, the jest being how did he see things were currently in Afghanistan? I was looking for the wisdom and incite he always had as Tom and Libby openly shared their knowledge and observations from years of experience. Tom responded with a certain amount of frustration about what he and his wife were yet again experiencing.  And then, there was that ray of hope as they both spoke of something in their work that inspired them to continue to see a future of promise in this complicated country. To Tom and Libby it was simple – service for the greater good.  Tom spoke of the work he was doing and his forth coming trip into Nuristan a place he saw with great need.  Yes, he always saw that ray of light.  Sometimes he had to mumble and grumble at the time things would take or something that had happened.  In the end often with a sense of humor the ray would be discovered and he would move to the next  project. These acts of caring and kindness were received with great gratitude from those he served.

I have been through every emotion you can think of and then some, while still carrying out why I am here. Each day we move a bit forward. You will see photos and more information about NOOR on this site from previous journeys I have made to be with Tom and Libby and to document the NOOR project. Many of you know I have continued to support IAM and NOOR as they work in Afghanistan by speaking of their work and encouraging others to because of the difference I see it has made in the lives of the Afghans they train and serve. A big thank you to all who have contributed and let us continue.

I was surprised to find how quickly my site was discovered by the press….I guess a better way of saying it is that I wasn’t prepared to comment much less negotiate over costs for using photographs so I graciously declined.

Thank you to all of you who continue to hold us in your thoughts. I have been touched and supported by each of you.

In gratitude,

Connie

Travel is always an adventure and one needs to be prepared to be flexible and traveling to Afghanistan is no exception. A direct flight from JFK brought us to Dubai to a hotel for a few hours of rest before the last leg to Kabul, coming through the Los Vegas of the Arab world. The lobby alone would dazzle even a blind person. The sense of space and the abundance of it is evident in their architecture.

Renaissance Dubai Hotel

We caught our 3:30 flight to Kabul on one of the better quality planes I have taken on this leg. I had a window seat so I could watch the sun rise and see the bed of clouds form the window.

Bed of clouds over....

We flew though a pure white-out to emerge to a misty and rainy Kabul something one doesn’t see or experience very often. There even was water in the river you fly over on the landing pattern. As the Afghan said who helped us with the luggage, “Why have an umbrella when you can feel the rain.”

The Kabul River.

Traffic in Afghanistan leaves a lot to be desired but creates a feast for the eyes!

Traffic jam.

Those who share the road.

Deliveries being made.

One of the first places that we visited was the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan, a girls art school run by Rahraw Omerzad. the young women have produced some very powerful work which can be seen by visiting their web site. ww.ccaa.org.af   They have shown their work internationally and a show will be traveling in the US beginning in New Orleans soon.

Rahraw Omerzad director of Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan

The young women learn traditional Afghan art such as miniature painting as well as working to create a new form of Contemporary Afghan art.

Marzia and two of her miniatures.

Young women's paintings from CCAA

Rahraw states. “Women have lots of things to say.” We were greatly moved by the power of these young women’s visual voices. They do not have their own gallery and have shown in a number of places in Kabul including a newly build caravanserai in Barbur’s Gardens that was built following the plan of a much earlier building.. They also held an exhibition of heir work in the destroyed shell of one of the popular cinema’s. I have often driven and walked by this building intrigued by the circular stair and the elegance of what this represented in the lives of the residents of Kabul who loved the cinema. CCAA would love to turn this into a gallery. Once again I wish I had unlimited resources so I could wave a wand and say, “It is so.” Art can be an amazing opening for expression of things that are often unsaid that need a voice particularly for these young women.

Cinema now covered with ads and political posters.

They even had an exhibit of instillation made from found objects such as all the plastic water bottles, old shoes, shovels, medicine, etc.

Trash art

Medical robot made from pills and pill bottles.

The Markets as always a as diverse as anywhere.

Kitchen implements.

A new purchase of a frying pan or a hat.

And children are every where many with no true homes.

Not the happiest child I have seen here.

And the last photo for this entry was so cute I couldn’t resist taking  grab shot out of the window.

So far we are both well and staying safe and thank  you all for you good wishes ad continued interest.