On Thursday, October 6, at 6:30 PM, nine poets will read at the South End library to celebrate the exhibit of photographer Greg Jundanian's Boston Poetry Series, portraits he took of the bards while visiting local poetry slams. Those reading include DiDi Delgado, Krysten Hill,Valerie Loveland, Oompa, April Penn, John Pinkham, Oliver Prato, Allegra Thaler, and Tim Velsor. The October exhibit is the fifth Local Focus display this year. It is sponsored by the Friends of the South End Library to utilize the library's grand windows on Tremont Street and showcase work of local artists, non-profits and creative entrepreneurs. We serve refreshments. Seating is limited.
Greg Jundanian is an emerging artist focused on portraits and self-selected communities, however loosely defined. Born into an Armenian family largely defined by its history and traditions, Jundanian wondered what could have been if its past had been different? These questions led him to explore other social groups, characterized by various common denominators. He describes his Boston Poetry Series, on display in the South End library windows, as a "visual open mike" based on a collaboration with poetry slammers in which the poets transcribe words onto the photographs. It is the story about a self-defined community, a place where an individual poet can receive the support to explore issues of identity critical to his or her poetic expression.
A former cabdriver, bond salesman, firefighter and glassblower, Jundanian is also the founder and president of Three Squares New England, an organization focused on increasing awareness and fundraising towards battling hunger in Massachusetts. Additional exhibits of Jundanian's work scheduled for the fall include the PH21 Gallery in Budapest (Hungary); the Nave Gallery in Somerville, MA; the Atlanta Photography Group in Atlanta GA; and the Griffin Photography Museum in Winchester, MA.
Jundanian's photographs on display at the library are available for sale. Thirty percent of each sale will be donated to the South End library to benefit its programming.