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Photo exhibit profiles those served by local ministry

Dec. 3, 2010

KALAMAZOO--An innovative photography exhibit at Western Michigan University's College of Health and Human Services puts a face on those served by the local non-profit Ministry with Community.

Photo of Tim Wojtyniak's Enduring Spirit exhibit.Photographer Tim Wojtyniak's "Enduring Spirit" is an interactive exhibit of photo portraits and stories of actual people served by the Kalamazoo ministry. The exhibit is on display in the second floor gallery of the Health and Human Services Building through Dec. 20.

Gallery hours

  • Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ministry with Community is Kalamazoo's only adult daytime shelter and resource center serving people who are struggling with poverty, homelessness and mental illness. Through Enduring Spirit, Wojtyniak set out to capture images and narratives that go deeper than the exterior to convey the inner strength, joy, faith and determination of the individuals, members who drop in at the shelter. The common message in these compelling images and narratives is "We are individuals; we are real; and we matter."

The portraits were originally taken and provided to the members as a gift, funded by a ChangeMaker grant from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation.

"This exhibit is offered as a gift. Not from me, but from the members in the portraits," says Wojtyniak, an alumnus of the WMU Holistic Health Care Program. "The members shared their stories and themselves with me, resulting in many engaging portraits. However, the powerful stories and portraits begged for a wider audience."

For more information, contact Gay Walker, coordinator for the college's Holistic Health Care Program, at (269) 387-3839 or gay.walker@wmich.edu.

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Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

WMU News
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Western Michigan University
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