Synchronicity

Odd how things work around here. A friend of mine sent me a link to a slide show created by Sean Posey and as I was looking through the photos I recognized a church that another friend of mine, Chris Barzak, had written about in his book One for Sorrow. The church is located by YSU and I'm told that it is was the first church in the area. It is in poor condition and I would love to see the building saved. However, that is a story for another day.

I want to share with you a slide show that depicts our ruins in all of their glory.
In the decay there is much beauty. I,for one, believe that by looking and perceiving the ruins through a lens of creativity there will be new birth. Sean Posey has not only captured the beauty of the place, but he has somehow managed to imbue his photos with the emotional strength and courage of the people who reside here though people are are not his subject matter, and are not found within the frames of the photographs. Click here to view the show.

After viewing his work I contacted Sean Posey to find out his connection to Youngstown. He told me that his family is from Youngstown and that they left in the 80's. He is currently a freelance photo journalist working from San Francisco. Sean is drawn to our area and is currently planning a fine art/documentary project on the rust belt in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. I will keep you posted about the upcoming show dates and locations,