17 Oct 2016 Community Foundation hosts It’s a Wrap reception for Faces of Philanthropy exhibit
Exhibit celebrated outstanding philanthropist faces from the region
FORT MYERS, Fla. (Oct. 17, 2016) – The Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently celebrated the closing of its 40th Anniversary “Faces of Philanthropy” exhibit with a wrap party.
The special photo exhibit, donated by award-winning editorial and commercial photographer Brian Tietz celebrated outstanding philanthropist faces from the region and honored those passionate about our community and who give back through their time, talent and treasure.
Those featured were given their portraits as a thank you during the wrap party.
“Faces of Philanthropy was a celebration of the giving spirit in Southwest Florida,” said Sarah Owen, president and CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. “It all started when photographer Brian Tietz offered the gift of his talent to capture the essence of Southwest Florida philanthropists through his portraits. This was a perfect way for us to celebrate our 40-year history and honor the legacy of our founders by capturing the faces of those who are making a difference in our community now.”
More than 60 photos were part of the exhibit and included faces from all walks of life and individuals as young as eight years of age up to 90. Subjects, who were nominated for their philanthropy, included a judge, retired teachers, business owners, attorneys, entrepreneurs, community volunteers, donors, Community Foundation fund holders and more.
“My goal with shooting the Faces of Philanthropy portraits was to try and capture an unguarded moment with each subject, capturing just them as themselves and not a public persona that people, especially those well known in their community, sometimes feel they have to project,” said Tietz. “I also wanted to give back on my terms, producing unique, authentic and original images that fulfilled me as an artist and photographer.”
Tietz is based in Fort Myers and specializes in portrait and lifestyle images. Originally from northern Wisconsin, he moved to south Florida as a teenager and learned to love photography after his parents subscribed to the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) newspaper. He worked his way through high school in the one-hour photo lab of a neighborhood Eckerd Drug Store, an experience that exposed him to the technical aspects of photography and offered an opportunity to learn from the successes and mistakes of tourists and amateur photographers who would come in on a daily basis. Tietz went on to graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism, which offered editorial photography opportunities. He has worked as a correspondent for wires like AP and Getty, and newspapers like USA Today and the New York Times.
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. Last year, it partnered with individuals, families and corporations that created more than 400 philanthropic funds. Thanks to them, the Foundation’s invested $5 million in grants and programs to the community. With assets of more than $93 million, it has provided more than $67 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Community Foundation is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County’s Sustainability Plan.
To see who was at the reception, go to http://floridacommunity.com/and-its-a-wrap/