Photography exhibit by Pulitzer Prize-winning local photographer Martha Rial

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Hosted by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
937 Liberty Gallery

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces photography exhibit by Martha Rial, IN UGANDA, A SCHOOL TO CALL HOME, will be on view from Friday, September 23 through Sunday, November 13, 2016, at 937 Liberty Gallery, 2nd floor, located at 937 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.   The opening night of the exhibit is also part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District that takes place on Friday, September 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  This photography exhibition and the Gallery Crawl are free and open to the public.  937 Liberty Gallery is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Martha Rial’s photography exhibit, IN UGANDA, A SCHOOL TO CALL HOME, depicts the efforts by two extraordinary individuals Medi Bugembe and Victoria Nalongo Namusisi to empower children living in poverty through education in Uganda. Victoria Nalongo Namusisi adopted Medi Bugembe and saved him from a life in the streets. Medi is now giving back, running The Great Kings and Queens Children’s Center, which harbors more than 400 students. He has turned his own pain into a positive outcome, helping to empower children living in extreme poverty.  Victoria Nalongo Namusisi is the co-founder of Bright Kids Uganda whose mission is to rescue vulnerable and economically disadvantaged children from the dire circumstances in which they are currently living, by providing housing, their basic necessities and education.  For more information, visit www.brightkidsuganda.net.  “Victoria Nalongo Namusisi and Medi Bugembe are extraordinary human beings. I am honored to share their story with Pittsburgh audiences. I believe viewers will be inspired by their message of healing and how one person can make a difference in our world,” shared Martha Rial.

While researching this project, Rial learned Uganda, an East African nation, is considered to be among the poorest and most politically corrupt countries in the world. In this nation of almost 39 million people, an infamous civil war waged by the Lord’s Resistance Army has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, extreme torture and atrocities, and the dislocation of more than a million people. Nearly half the population is under the age of 15, and an estimated 2 million children have been orphaned.

Local Pittsburgh non-profit ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples assisted Ms. Rial with logistics and background information for this project and is sponsoring the community forum that will take place on September 29, 2016, as noted below.  http://www.asasocialfundforhiddenpeoples.org

Martha Rial has received international acclaim, including a Pulitzer Prize, among other awards for her work.  She specializes in documentary, editorial and portrait photography.  For more information about Martha Rial, please visit www.martharial.com.

Gallery Hours and More
Following the September 23 opening night of the exhibit (5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.), the regular gallery hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays, Noon to 5:00 p.m.

On Thursday, September 29, 2016, a community forum will take place at 937 Liberty Gallery, beginning at 6:00 p.m. with a reception; and at 7:00 p.m. the forum begins with introductions by Martha Rial followed by remarks from special guests, Victoria Nalongo Namusisi and Medi Bugembe and Dr. Louis A. Picard, Director of International Development Program and Professor of Public and International Affairs & African Studies, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), University of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Visual Arts
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is unique in the arts industry for its commitment to providing high-quality, contemporary visual and public art along with a robust performing arts schedule. The Trust owns and operates eight galleries, offering arts exhibits that are free and open to the public. In addition, the Trust showcases the visual arts through its popular Gallery Crawls and festival programming as well as through its outdoor parks that feature award-winning public art.  For more information about all gallery exhibitions featured in the Cultural District, please visit www.TrustArts.org.