Press Releases 2005

U.S. Diplomat Holds Photo Exhibit to Help Tsunami Victims

24 February 2005

NEW DELHI - An exhibition of photographs, taken around India by the U.S. Embassy Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs William Bartlett, opened at the PBC Art Gallery in New Delhi today.

Featuring a collection of 57 photographs entitled "People and Places," the exhibition is a unique effort by a member of the foreign diplomatic community to raise funds for tsunami victims in India. The proceeds from the sale of the photographs will go to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

U.S. Ambassador David C. Mulford inaugurated the exhibition, which will be on view at the PBC Art Gallery in Nehru Place till March 13, 2005. A silent auction of the photo art exhibits was conducted at the inaugural event, and will continue online at www.pbcnet.com/artgallery until March 5, 2005.

Bartlett, who is the senior U.S. diplomat heading the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, spent many years of his childhood in south India. Having grown up in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Bartlett has a particularly strong connection with that region of India most affected by the tsunami.

Although the United States Government has contributed substantially to the international tsunami effort, Bartlett said this exhibition is a part of his desire to respond personally to the crisis.

This is Bartlett's first public showing of his photographs. The photographic artworks depict harsh living conditions contrasted with the gracious hospitality of Indian villagers and showcase the scenery and architecture of India.

Although he dabbled in photography throughout his youth, it was not until digital photography came of age that Bill Bartlett began to pursue his part-time hobby seriously. Bartlett's creativity, together with access to the boundless diversity of India's scenes and people, turned what was initially an occasional pastime into a serious avocation.