<i>Across the Bay</i> Photography Exhibit Opens

Date: August 17, 2008
Contact: Gary Bremen, 305-230-1144, x3084

South Florida fine art photographer John D. Andersen will be featured in a solo exhibition of his work at the Biscayne National Park's Dante Fascell Visitor Center Gallery, opening August 22, 2008. Across the Bay will showcase the natural beauty and explosive color that make the largest marine park in the National Park System a true national treasure. An opening reception with refreshments, a silent auction, and an opportunity to meet the artist and discuss his work, will be held on Sunday afternoon, August 24th, from 1-3 p.m. The exhibit will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 16. Both the exhibit and the opening reception are free and open to the public. The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is located at 9700 SW 328 Street, 9 miles east of Homestead, Florida.

Raised in the United States heartland, John’s love of photography was fostered at a young age by his father, an accomplished black and white format photographer. But John's interest for photography took a back seat to his absolute passion for the water. "I have loved the ocean for as long as I remember, and still to this day remember the first time I saw the Atlantic from the shores of Miami." This land-locked Midwesterner fulfilled his calling and moved to South Florida in the late 1980s to pursue a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Miami. "I knew from the moment I first snorkeled out over the seagrass beds, mangrove fringes and shallow reefs of Biscayne National Park, I was here to stay". John has called Miami home ever since, marrying his college sweetheart who also shares his love of South Florida. John and his wife now delight in raising their two young boys along the sand bars of Elliott Key and shell-filled beaches of Boca Chita.

Since 2003, John has been expressing his absolute passion for South Florida's unique environments through his fine art landscape photography (www.imagesbyjda.com). John has been published internationally, exhibited throughout South Florida, and is honored to have his work on display in public and private collections across the United States.

Across the Bay is part of the park’s Community Artists program, and is made possible by the South Florida National Parks Trust with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council and the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the First National Bank of South Florida and Sedano’s Supermarkets.

For further information about the Across the Bay exhibit, call 305-230-7275.