Keith Berr Photographer

Annette Cramer of Stern Advertsing got a congratulatory call today from Terri Tancredi at the Ohio Lottery telling us that we won a Batchy Award for our Dreams Print work. Yay!

Annette and I worked on this project and it was great fun photographing the kids. It's not often that Cleveland gets the recognition for a job well done. We do have good creative in this town!

Batchy Awards are presented to NASPL (North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries) members for outstanding advertising and business communication achievements.  This award is named in honor of the late Ralph Batch, elected as NASPL’s first president in 1971.  It was through his efforts that the advantages of exchanging information and collaborating on joint ventures between lotteries were first recognized.

Here's a few of the winners.
Congrats Annette!

Ruins and Life Poetry and Photography at the Beth K Stocker Gallery.




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ruins and Life – Photographs by Keith Berr and Poetry by Bruce Weigl
Through a series of photographs and poems, Berr and Weigl tell personal stories of life in Southeast Asia from the streets of Cambodia to the waters of Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Dr. Bruce Weigl, a Distinguished Professor in the Division of Arts and Humanities at Lorain County Community College, and Keith Berr, an award winning photographer with studios in Cleveland, Ohio and Santa Fe, New Mexico, have collaborated on a very special exhibition of photography and poetry titled Ruins and Life. The exhibition, which is featured in the Beth K. Stocker Gallery at Lorain County Community College’s Stocker Art Center from Thursday, September 10 –Friday, October 9, 2009, Gallery Hours are 10:30 to 2:30pm Monday through Friday, and additional hours by appointment for groups or classes can be arranged by contacting Joan Perch at the Stocker Arts Center: 440 366 4140, or 800 995 5222 ext 4140 or jperch@lorainccc.edu.

Ruins and Life features a series of photographs by Berr and poems by Weigl that reflect their personal stories and experiences as well as history and life in Southeast Asia, from the temples and streets of Cambodia to the waters of Halong Bay, Vietnam. The photographs included in this exhibition are part of a personal series of images Berr captured in Southeast Asia while he and his partner Linda Barberic were exploring the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD, this temple represents one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. A symbol of Cambodia, it is the only temple to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation. The structures one sees at Angkor today are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and are long since decayed and gone. Inspired by the iconic nature of the sculptures within the temple and the spirit of the people he encountered, Berr has captured the essence of a people and a culture that has endured for centuries while reflecting the struggles, the rewards and the story of the impermanence of human existence.

These incredible images are paired with the poetry of Bruce Weigl, whose unflinchingly honest poems, about Vietnam and about America, have brought him critical praise, a wide readership, and international eminence. Born and raised in Lorain, Ohio, Weigl spent four years in the service, serving in Vietnam from December 1967 to December 1968, where he received the Bronze Star. Weigl survived to become one of America's most admired poets, eloquently speaking for an entire generation of Americans whose lives were broken by the war and whose moral confusion desperately needed addressing.

Link to the Stocker Gallery

PRESS RELEASE JOSEPH SAXTON GALLERY Keith Berr, an award winning photographer with studios in Cleveland, Ohio and Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a very special exhibition of photography titled Ruins and Life.  The exhibition, will be featured in the Joseph Saxton Gallery Located in the Canton Arts District at 520 Cleveland Ave. NW This is the first exhibition by a contemporary artist at the amazing new gallery.

Ruins and Life features a series of photographs by Berr that reflects his personal stories and experiences as well as history and life in Southeast Asia, from the temples and streets of Cambodia to the waters of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.  The photographs included in this exhibition are part of a personal series of images Berr captured in Southeast Asia while he and his partner Linda Barberic were exploring the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia.  Built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD, this temple represents one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements.  A symbol of Cambodia, it is the only temple to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation.  The structures one sees at Angkor today are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and are long since decayed and gone.  Inspired by the iconic nature of the sculptures within the temple and the spirit of the people he encountered, Berr has captured the essence of a people and a culture that has endured for centuries.   From the streets of Cambodia, Thailand, to the waters of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, these photographs also reflect the struggles, the rewards and the story of the impermanence of human existence

The photo below is opening night at this amazing gallery.

Ann Arbor is the number one Art Festival in the U.S. and after being there I can see why.

We set our work up in a prime area filled with restaurants and galleries and met fantastic patrons and other artists Our booth was a constant flow from 10:00 am - 9:00 pm with art buyers, gallery owners, salon owners and even a group from Redondo Beach, Ca. looking at buying art for Target, Kohl's and Walmart projects.

It was a fast pace and we are convinced that if you put your product out there, push to meet people that this is a good a time as any to brand a product What recession? Breaks happen when least expected as long as you keep putting your work in the public’s eyes

Thanks to everyone that made this a wonderful experience for the newbie’s.

KB

Ann Arbor one of the top Ten Art Shows in the country weighed through over 10,000 submissions and Keith Berr's "Palette Of Colors" is in.

Established in 1960, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair is the Original of the now four award-winning Ann Arbor Art Fairs.
Together, the fairs attract over 500,000 attendees from across the nation.  The Original Fair was named the Number One Art Fair in the country by AmericanStyle magazine readers survey (October 2004) and has made the Top Ten Fairs and Festivals list every year since. 

We are packing up our gear and heading to Ann Arbor for the four day show.
There is a huge list of activities and if you've never attended it is truly worth the trip! 
Here is a link to the activities and a map of the fair. We are in booth 228.

Hope to see some familiar faces there,

KB 

Keith likes to garden and his studio has a spectacular pergola and garden in the rear of the building. Spice of Life catering recently asked if he would allow an Urban Dinner Party to be hosted at his studio.
Why not was the answer they received?

Chef Ben Bebenroth and his crew took over Keith's commercial kitchen and prepared a feast for 30 people last weekend.
Ben strives to show his clients that there is a bounty of harvest to be enjoyed from right here in our own backyards. By utilizing these small family farms and supporting our local economy, we will all live a better and more vibrant life. His menus feature organic and sustainable farms from Ohio's lush valleys, complemented by an array of eclectic ingredients that
he's discovered on his travels across the country and around the world.

The man can cook and the wines that were paired with the foods were exceptional.

If you would like to experience a fully catered event from this amazing chef and his crew contact Jess Andjeski, at Jess@SpiceOfLifeCaters.com or call 216.432.9090.

Here are a couple of photos from the evening.

It's a great time!

KB

Hathaway Brown is a school that if I am ever reincarnated as a girl, I would love to attend.

I had the opportunity to photograph the school, it's campus and students a few weeks back and all I can say is WOW!
I never knew that education like this was available here in Cleveland Ohio, plus it is the oldest surviving private girls' school in the area and was founded in 1876 and offering classes from kindergarden through twelfth grade.

Hathaway Brown's educational program emphasizes college preparation, offering Advanced Placement and college level coursework in math, science, English, history, and art, still closely following the school's original motto, non scholae sed vitae dicimus ("we learn not for school, but for life"). One hundred percent of its graduates attend four-year colleges or universities after graduation.

Who knew, all I can say is that it was an amazing experience for me and all of HB's students should be proud to be affiliated with such a fine institution of learning.

Kudos Hathaway Brown,

KB

Keith Berr is privileged to have been selected through the juried process to be included in this years Boston Mills Art Festival.

The Boston Mills Artfest is a nationally recognized, juried fine art and fine craft show. 2009 marks the 38th consecutive year that the Artfest will be held Rain or Shine at Boston Mills Ski Resort, nestled in the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park midway between Cleveland and Akron. Directions to Boston Mills.

"Palette of Colors" is a collection of images that Keith has compiled from a series of Macro-Florals that were created without the use of a conventional camera or camera lens. Keith is utilizing specialized cylindrical lenses to craft the extreme high-resolution imagery and then individually produces each museum quality Giclee on distinctive archival watercolor papers.

This is a new type of photography. No lens, no camera, just the design and style of the composer. It takes strong attention to technical detail to produce stunning prints boasting this type of sensual color saturation and crisp sharp compositions.

The show was fantastic, great art and perfect weather.
Thanks to everyone who attended and made our first venture into the tented art market a success.

KB

Article contents.The Domestic Violence benefit held on January 31, 2009 was a huge success.

We had close to 300 people in attendance at our studio located at 1420 East 31st in Cleveland. The fantastic food was provided by Patrick Kander and people were well fed and bid with happy faces on the many generous items that were donated by various companies, individuals and artist friends.
Between the door admissions, the silent auction, the live auction and Facebook, Stop the Stalkers Group. Debbie Riddle raised over $12,500 making the benefit the best ever.
Thank you to everyone attending and all of those donating their time and support for the Domestic Violence Benefit.


KB


Check the photos of the event on Facebook. Photos

Photographic Exhibition January 26 – March 6, 2009 at University Hospitals Humphrey Atrium Galley

"Palette of Colors" A study of color, textures and light ever changing, by Keith Berr.
The exhibition will be hosted by The Humphrey Atrium Gallery at University Hospitals. If you would like to get acquainted with Keith he will be present to meet and talk with people on Friday January 30, 2009 6-8 PM.

“Palette Of Colors” is a collection of images that Keith has compiled from several different bodies of work. The Macro Botanical Images are the largest group in this series and were created without the use of a camera. Over a three-year period Keith utilized Epson scanners to craft extreme high-resolution imagery and then printed the museum archival images using Epson printers and their Ultrachrome inks and papers.

The Macro Botanicals were produced to aid in the American Diabetes research and a percentage of every print sold will be donated to the ADA.
The Architectural Imagery, using bold colors and graphic textures, form the second body of work to complete the “Palette Of Colors” show hanging at University Hospital’s Humphrey Gallery.
Keith has won numerous awards for his cutting edge work and is represented locally by Red Dot Project and at Geniocity.com. His images are held in private and corporate collections throughout the United States.

The Humphrey Atrium Gallery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center: 11100 Euclid ave.Cleveland, Ohio 44106 The Humphrey Atrium Gallery is located on the 1st floor of the Humphrey Building. West of the Lerner Tower. Parking in Cornell parking garage.

For directions to the Humphrey Atrium Gallery Or more information regarding this event please contact Linda Barberic at 216.566.7950, linda@keithberr.com or www.keithberr.com

Hope to see you there.

KB

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Keith Berr published in People Magazine.

During the holidays, it means even more when we hear children laughing at a Flashes of Hope photo shoot. This year, Flashes Of Hope captured the smiles of over 3000 children. It was an honor to work with Flashes Of Hope and be one of the more than 300 photographers donating their time in 2008.

Being on the other side of the camera is an unusual feeling for a photographer but when People Magazine asked if they could photograph me while I worked with some of the children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses, I was thrilled.

The article including behind the scene shots, images of the children and the story of the growth from a small Cleveland nonprofit to a national organization was featured in the December 22nd issue of People Magazine.

I am so happy to be a part of the organization bringing joy into the lives of these families every month of the year and want to say thank you to the generous support of donors, volunteer chapter directors, stylists and other photographers who participate in this great endeavor of giving.

KB

If you would like to see more images please contact linda@keithberr.com

Burger King Staff photographed by Keith Berr for Recruitment Campaign.

Photographing people is what I love to do. It's the reaction ,the interaction and the spontaneity of the event which makes for a great photograph.

A Chicago ad agency had me travel to Miami Florida to work with the staff at Burger King to produce images for a recruitment campaign. They wanted to use their staff, real people, not talent to showcase the energy and fun that Burger King's people have.

We shot for two solid days, over 40 people and I have selected a few of the out-takes and created a graphic that I now use on my e-mails.

It was great fun working and laughing with the people at Corporate Burger King.

KB

Ohio Lottery Campaign photographed by Keith Berr.

The Ohio Lottery has an exciting new television commercial coming our way. I followed the film crew here in Cleveland to produce the stills for a new KENO ad campaign.

It was a great day shooting in Treemont at the Treehouse and then moving over to The Lite Bistro in Ohio City to photograph the guys and their car outside of the restaurant.

I really enjoy working with the film crews, utilizing their lighting, adding my own and coming up with images that are different from the film spot but can still relate to the over all concept.
Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Enjoy,

KB

Ruins and Life a new book on Blurb by Keith Berr.


"Ruins and Life" is a personal series of images captured in Southeast Asia, while Keith and his partner Linda, were exploring the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia, the worlds largest religious monument, whose sculptures are of iconographic nature. The ruins, the people, their eyes tell the story of life from the streets of Cambodia, Thailand and the waters of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. The story of the impermanence of human existence, the struggles the rewards and nature inevitably winnning.

All images in this book are available as a limited edition series of artist signed prints.
The Giclee photographs, measuring 13.5” x 20.5“ are printed by the artist using archival inks and papers.

Contact Linda at linda@keithberr.com for further information or call to schedule an appointment at 216.566.7950. Visit our website to see the entire show keithberr.com
The book is also now available through Blurb, click on the link below to review and order your copy.

KB

Ruins and Life

By Keith Berr

Book Preview