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The New York Public Library

presents

 Design and Style Series Event

Orchard Beach

Wayne Lawrence

in conversation with

David Gonzalez

 

Wednesday November 12, 2013

6:00 p.m. 

Margaret Liebman Berger Forum
Room 227 (2^nd Floor)

 

The New York Public Library

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

5^thAvenue at 42^nd Street

New York, NY 10018

917-275-6975

 www.nypl.org

(directions)

 

 Room 227 opens to public at 5:30 p.m.
All events are FREE and subject to last minute change or cancellation.

Photographer Wayne Lawrence and journalist David Gonzalez have an in-depth conversation about Lawrence's new book, Orchard Beach: The Bronx Riviera.

 

This collection of engaging and beautiful portraits by Wayne Lawrence celebrates the diversity and community of one of New York City’s most popular beaches. Orchard Beach might not be the most elegant place to sunbathe, but if you live in the Bronx, it’s the closest place to swim, relax on the sand, and escape the city’s oppressive summer heat. Drawn to the public beach for its less-than glamorous reputation, photographer Wayne Lawrence felt a connection to the community as soon as he began snapping pictures. His glamorous portraits of proud men and women, loving couples, and families at play challenge stereotypes associated with working-class people by focusing on universal themes such as the ties that bind and cultural pride. Whether Anglo, African American, or Latino; statuesque or stout; young or old, each individual is treated with dignity and sensitivity. Lawrence’s subjects are a community standing in defiance of popular opinion, proud to call Orchard Beach their own.

 

Copies of the book are available for purchase and signing at the event after the audience Q&A.

 

Born in 1974 in Saint Kitts, photographer Wayne Lawrence is based in Brooklyn. His work, which has been honored by the Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Portraiture (2013), Photo District News (2010, 2011, 2013), the International Photography Awards (2012), and the American Photography annual (2012, 2013), has been exhibited by the Open Society Institute, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the George and Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art, Corridor Gallery, and Calumet Gallery. His photographs have been published by the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, New York, Sunday Times Magazine, Mother Jones, Mare, Newsweek, Afisha Mir, British Journal of Photography, COLORS, Communication Arts, Photo District News, Le Monde, Gioia, GUP, and Marie Claire.

 

David Gonzalez is co-editor of the Lens blog and does the biweekly Side Street photo-essay feature for the City Room blog. As a long-time member of the metro desk of The New York Times, his work has often focused on the city’s neighborhoods and how they reflect the larger social and cultural issues in American society. Since arriving at the Times from Newsweek Magazine in 1990, he has been the Bronx Bureau Chief, the About New York columnist and the Central America/Caribbean Bureau Chief. Most recently, he wrote the biweekly Citywide feature column, as well as having published a year-long look at the life of an undocumented family in New York City. His prizes include a 2008 Distinguished Writing Award from the American Society of Newspaper Editors for House Afire, a three-part series on the life of a struggling Pentecostal storefront church. He also was awarded Columbia University’s Mike Berger Award in May 1992 for his coverage of New York City and its neighborhoods. Before entering journalism, he worked for several non-profit agencies active in New York City’s Latino and African-American communities. He was also the project coordinator at En Foco, a Bronx-based arts group which supports emerging Latino photographers. Mr. Gonzalez was born and raised in the Bronx. He earned a B.A. in psychology from Yale University and an M.S. degree in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

 

Conceived and organized by Arezoo Moseni and in its third year, Design and Style is a series of events featuring discussions and presentations by leading professionals in the various design fields.