The 10,000-lake State: National Geographic's portrait exhibit

In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits, published in 2004, showcases personal glimpses of people all over the world from the early 1900s to the 1990s. A collaboration of National Geographic and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the book’s images range from glimpses of tribal leaders and rural farms in a world long gone to Steve McCurry’s now-famous 1985 portrait of an Afghan girl.

"In 2002, National Geographic relocated Sharbat Gulu, now in her 30s with three children, in the remote Pushtun region of Afghanistan." Photo by Steve McCurry, 1985

A touring exhibit of 51 images from the book started in late 2005 and was originally scheduled to end early in 2009. The tour has been extended through 2010, and Midwesterners will get a chance to see it this spring and summer at the Duluth Art Institute in Duluth, Minnesota.

"Young women of the steppes in central Asia" by Maynard Owen Williams, 1932

The exhibition’s Duluth run will begin on March 20th and end on July 18th, with subsequent stops in Canadian, Texas and Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Duluth Art Institute will host a special opening night event, urging attendees to “Come with friends and come with your camera, we’ll have stations set up for you to play with portrait photography. Post the evening’s results on our Facebook page and see if you took the best shot!”

The exhibition will be at the DAI’s “Depot” branch at 506 W Michigan Street. Admission is free to members of the Duluth Art Institute and affiliated organization.  Non-members: $12 for adults, $6 for children 3-13, and children under 3 free. Ask about AAA and senior discounts.



Contact the DAI at 218.733.7560.