Bakersfield.com: Kern County news, events, classifieds, shopping, & search

SMILING: A language we all speak

GAVIN: Wall of stereotypes broken down

The Bakersfield Californian | Thursday, Dec 10 2009 03:46 PM

Last Updated Thursday, Dec 10 2009 03:48 PM

A casual dinner conversation in a Bakersfield home between two people from opposite sides of the world seems like an odd beginning for an international photography exhibit -- especially when neither speaks the other's language.

Yet that's exactly the way it happened, says local photographer Greg Iger in recounting the origins of "Open World Smiles" which opens Tuesday morning in the lobby of the county administrative services building.

"Although," he added, "it's been a

long time coming -- this all started about two years ago. I'm especially pleased that I was able to get (the

exhibit) for the next batch of Russians," meaning the group of visitors who arrived last night for a weeklong stay sponsored by Open World, an organization funded by Congress.

What's unique about the exhibit is its goal to reach across boundaries in a visual sense instead of using mere words to describe another culture. It's a trite saying but a true one: One picture is worth a thousand words.

Each of the 32 photos -- half from Russia, the others taken by Kern County photographers -- shows ordinary people. The common ingredient is the smile on their faces. Thus the name for the exhibit.

It all began in 2007 when Iger and his wife, Debbie Iger, hosted Dina Bayhova, one of 10 Russian journalists who were in Bakersfield as part of an Open World visit arranged by Friendship Force of Kern County. Bayhova, who speaks only a few words of English, was accompanied by a translator.

"As we were sitting around the dinner table, just talking, laughing, Dina said how surprised she was to see how warm and friendly we were," Iger said. "In Russia, she had been taught that all Americans were cold, hard-driving capitalists only interested in making money."

Iger, who has operated his own studio in Bakersfield for nearly 40 years and has published several books of his artistic photos, responded that he too had different expectations before meeting Bayhova and the other Russian visitors.

"I told her most Americans think of Russia as a cold, grubby place, and that everyone is a sad, downtrodden communist," he said, admitting that he too was equally surprised at their warmth and friendliness.

Iger gives Baykova credit for coming up with the idea for the exhibit -- the idea of taking photos of people smiling. As he recalls the conversation, the Russian journalist suggested that, since both were artists, this was something they could do to expand the learning and understanding between their countries beyond their week-long visit.

"We never made a formal agreement, never had anything written down," Iger said, "and I didn't hear anything more about it for about 18 months. Then I got an e-mail from the director of the Udmurt Museum of Fine Arts saying she was sending their pictures."

Udmurt, he said, is a region located about 500 miles southeast of Moscow.

In the interim, Iger called upon members of local photography clubs and arts groups to volunteer their services in bringing the project to fruition. Orrie Griswold and Duncan Hanon of Trek Imaging provided the prints that will be displayed; Jessica Frey, a photographer who has studied in Russia, helped with the language aspect. Valentina Gartig, director of the Udmurt Museum, acted as the go-between.

"Open World Smiles" will be on display through Dec. 30 but Iger has hopes for its future.

"I'd like to make this exhibit worldwide, spread it out around the world or at least in the major cities," he said. "If we could get a major sponsor like Kodak or Epson or Canon, we could do it."