The Faces and Spaces of Africa

The Faces and Spaces of Africa, by local wildlife photographer Lynn David Nathanson, is currently on exhibit at the La Petite Galerie at the Marco Island Center for the Arts through December 3, 2024. 

If someone calls Nathanson a professional photographer, she immediately corrects them and says, "I'm not a professional, it's my passion!" She took her first cultural trip to South Africa in 2011 which included a four-day safari, and developed an immediate kinship with the “Faces and Spaces” of Africa. She returned to Africa a few more times and leisurely experienced the thrilling sights, sounds, and smells of the region, saying that she loved to capture the personality or, as she sees it the attitude of the animals of Africa. 

“It was a joy for me to be there as it is a joy for me to share these images with the art lovers at Marco Island Center for the Arts,” Nathanson said about the exhibition which is primarily from her trip to Northern Tanzania in 2015. Before moving to Marco Island five years ago as a full-time resident, she exhibited her work in libraries throughout Long Island, New York, and gave PowerPoint programs on her travels to senior social centers and libraries. In January, February, and March of 2025 she will present programs on China, Costa Rica/Panama, and South Africa-to-Zimbabwe at the Marco Island Library.  

You are in for a wildlife treat with Nathanson’s rich tapestry of Faces and Spaces of Africa exhibit. A South African Safari is on everyone’s ultimate bucket list. Through her long lens, Nathanson captured the majesty of South Africa’s treasures roaming free in their natural environment and brought them to life for everyone to enjoy. You will enjoy and admire her amazing photos of the “Big Five” up close. The regal lions look so cuddly and cute; a sleek and athletic African leopard, famed for its unique markings, appears like a domestic cat; the massive African elephants; the white rhinoceros, sadly a population fast declining; and the cape buffalo’s iconic herd presence roaming the vast open space. 

According to Myriam Kriel, Creative Manager for the Marco Island Center for the Arts and a South African native, “All of Lynn’s photographs of the cheetah and lions bring back great memories of my personal and wild encounters in South Africa with my family.” 

Patricia Mills, Communications Manager for the Art Center, added that she “loved the two monkeys – the mom holding the baby shows so much personality and warmth like any human mother and child. You can see it in the eyes.” 

A SAFARI TREAT! In the spirit of giving and the upcoming holiday season, Nathan son has chosen to donate 100% of the proceeds of the sale of her work back to Marco Island Center for the Arts. Each of her pieces featuring the “Faces and Spaces of Africa” is priced at $75.  

Please join us: For a Second Tuesday Reception on November 12th from 5:30-7:00 PM. 

CALL TO ARTIST: Festival of Trees Intake – December 2, 2024, with exhibit and judging from December 3to December 5. A popular holiday tradition!