News Release

San Francisco - A new traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian presents stunning color photographs that remind us that Vietnam is not a war - it is a country rich in history and culture. "Vietnam: Journey of the Heart, Photographs by Geoffrey Clifford, 1985-2000," is a collection of 52 large (24 X 36 inches) color prints that document and celebrate Vietnam in all of its moods, ancient and contemporary, urban and rural. Clifford's images portray the lush beauty of Vietnam's magnificent landscape and the "poetic beauty of ordinary people doing ordinary things." The exhibition opens on Saturday, September 14, 2002 at the San Francisco Main Library's Jewett Gallery, 100 Larkin Street in Civic Center.

"Vietnam: Journey of the Heart" was inspired by the 1989 book, Vietnam: The Land We Never Knew, a collaboration between Geoffrey Clifford and John Balaban, who wrote the text that accompanies the photographs. Both will take part in the exhibition opening event and reception on Sunday, September 22, 2002 at the San Francisco Main Library.

The 2:00 p.m. program in the Koret Auditorium features a color slide presentation by Geoffrey Clifford, a reading by author/poet John Balaban and singing of poetry (in Vietnamese) by Le Pham Le, followed by a reception at 3:00 in the Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room. The exhibition will remain on view in the Jewett Gallery through November 12, 2002.

Geoffrey Clifford was a 21-year-old American Army lieutenant when he first arrived in Vietnam in 1971. Flying combat helicopter missions over central Vietnam, the young pilot was awed by the terrain that unfolded below him. Between missions, he was restricted to his secured military perimeter, unable to experience firsthand the landscapes, cultures and people that surrounded him. In 1985, 13 years after leaving Da Nang, Clifford visited Vietnam in the first organized group tour of the country by America veterans.

Now an accomplished award-winning photographer, Clifford uses his art to make sense of breathtaking landscapes, ancient cultures and gracious people - a world that had previously been hidden from him by the turmoil of war. Since his first postwar tour, Clifford has made 17 successive returns to Vietnam. His photographs of life in modern Vietnam speak to his own experiences of discovery of Vietnam and its resilient people. The photographs contrast timeless pastoral scenes with views of a modern culture beginning a new century. Clifford's images visually recover the beauty of Vietnam for those whose only memories of this nation stem from grim wartime reports.

"Vietnam: Journey of the Heart" was organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Each year, SITES shares the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside of Washington, D.C. One of the Smithsonian's four National Programs, SITES makes available a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown not only in museums but wherever people live, work, and play: in libraries, science centers, historical societies, community centers, botanical gardens, and schools.

Following its showing at San Francisco Public Library, the exhibition will travel to various venues including: DeKalb County Public Library in Georgia, Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan, and Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery at Utah University. Previous venues were: Wichita Falls Museum and Art Center, Tulsa Community College, the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, and the Lentz Center for Asian Culture in Nebraska.

All programs at the San Francisco Public Library are free.
The Main Library's Jewett Gallery is open during regular library hours:
Sun 12-5; Mon 10-6; Tu, Wed, Th 9-8; Fri 12-6; and Sat 10-6.

For more information, please call: (415) 557-4277.