FACES & PLACES COMMUNITY HERO
LONG BEACH MAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER 2009
Transformative Art written by Cheryl Scott
The photograph is stark black and white, but it's subjects -- two seen from the front and two from behind --fill the image with something beyond color, more profound than light and shadow, deeper than more sentiment.
The parents hold the children close, their child's backs all that is visible-one with surgical scars searing diagonal paths across the tender skin, the other with should bones reminiscent of angel wings. The parent's faces emanate an emotional life that is informed by a transforming ordeal.
These are the photographs of Linnea Lenkus, who in partnership with Miller Children's Hospital's Stramski Children's Developmental Center and its fundraising arm, The Steel Magnolias, created "Healing: A Fine Art Portrait", an exhibit that recently closed at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, and is on its way to venues throughout the area.
Lenkus has made emotion the hallmark of her work. "I've always tried to create emotional photography," she says. "When I'm looking for a project, I hear about it and images begin to fill my head. In this case, I could sense what I can do with families that been impacted by developmental disabilities of their children."
She took the images over a six-month period, using as her subjects 15 families who have children with medical conditions ranging from cerebral palsy, autism, fragile X syndrome, Asperger's disorder, craniofacial disorders and other conditions.
"When Linnea contacted me about her desire to do family portraits for our patients, I leapt at the opportunity," said Dr. Gary Feldman, Medical Director of the Stramski Children's Developmental Center. "I knew this would give the families who have children with often unseen and yet disabling conditions a voice. Her work has not only given these families a platform to tell their story, but the very process of capturing these powerful images has brought many a measure of healing."
Lenkus has worked as a professional photographer for more than 20 years, but her degree is in psychology. "I see my work as being a combination of the two areas I'm most interested in - art and the inner workings of the mind. My background is what has led me to focus on emotional photography."
With studios in Signal Hill, Pasadena and Irvine, she is strong believer in giving back to her community. A resident of Long Beach, she went in search of a project that would allow her to use her experience in portrait photography to create something emotionally transcendent.
"When I saw the deep scars on the backs of a brother and sister, I new this project was more powerful than all of us, and I pushed past my tears," she says. "This project has transformed me in ways that I cannot express in words, but I hope that people can experience my feelings through the art of photography."
The exhibit contains 35 full-color and black and white photographs on gallery-wrapped canvas. Lenkus donated $1,000 worth of portraits to each family. She has also created a photography art book that will soon be available to purchase, with profits going to the Stramski Center.
The project has changed the photographer's life. "I'm more aware of the connection between kids and their parents," she says. "I often cried when I photographed these families. I spent a good deal of time with them, talking about their lives and the feelings about what they and their children have to go through."
She is now more aware of the good fortune she enjoys. "The project put everything in perspective for me," she says. "The parents were real troopers, and their children were more mature than the average child of the same age."
She has been talking with her own children regularly about helping disabled children and families, and about the importance of sensitivity when dealing with them. "It's so important that they not make fun of them or say insensitive things. These kids and their parents have a tremendous amount of courage. We can all learn from them."
The project is also affecting her future work. "Wherever I go now, I'm drawn to families like these. They are all upbeat, positive and inspirational. It is not possible for me to describe the strength, determination and love in these families, despite their children's limited mental and physical conditions."
An exhibit this important does not stop with one or two shows. You can expect to see it at many more venues throughout the city and in the greater Long Beach area.
If you plan to see it, prepare to be moved beyond mere sentiment into a feeling of awe, both of the stunning quality of Lenkus' work and by the raw emotion of the subjects.
Lenkus has given back to her community in ways that go beyond charity. With her fascinating collection of work, she has given us inspiration.
Photo Courtesy of Linnea Lenkus.
Visit memorialcare.org/miller/services/stramski.cfm for more information on the Miller Chidlren's Hospital Stramski Developmental Center.
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