Biscayne: Revealed: Thomas M. Strom Photo Exhibit Opens at Biscayne National Park

Soft Corals and Red Sponges

Thomas M. Strom

News Release Date: March 3, 2011

Contact: Gary Bremen, 305-230-1144, x007

Former Biscayne National Park volunteer and current employee Thomas M. Strom has seen the park’s nooks and crannies — above the water, below the water, in hidden channels and behind the scenes. Biscayne: Revealed is his first show, and offers a sampling of a few of the 8,000 images he has donated to the park over the past 10 years. The show runs from Friday, March 4 through Sunday, June 5, 2011, with a full moon “Meet the Artist” reception slated for Saturday, March 19 from 7-9 p.m. The Gallery, located at 9700 SW 328 Street, near Homestead, Florida, is open seven days a week from 9-5. Admission is free.

The self-taught photographer is a native South Floridian. After several years living in Western Massachusetts, he returned home and began volunteering at Biscayne National Park, first as a photographer for the park’s award-winning Family Fun Fest and renowned environmental education program, and later for all of the park’s events, both special and mundane. He donated over 800 hours to the park, and his images have been featured in park brochures, on the website, in traveling exhibits and many other places by such prestigious organizations as National Geographic, Nature Valley Granola Bars, the International Coral Reef Symposium and the Miami Herald. In many cases, Tom’s pictures are the general public’s first glimpse of the hidden beauty that makes up Biscayne National Park.

His abilities to convey the awesome in the ordinary, and the elegance in the extraordinary have earned him a place as Biscayne National Park’s go-to photographer. Each picture included in the show was taken within the confines of the park itself, a park that Tom considers his “back yard”. “I am proud to share these portraits so close to the location where they were taken, where I work, and where I live,” said Strom. “I hope that they encourage and inspire people to take a closer look at the wonders in their own back yard and hope that Biscayne: Revealed helps them see mine.”

Biscayne: Revealed is part of the park’s Community Artists Program, started in 1997 as an outlet for the works of both established and emerging artists who are inspired by the beauty of Biscayne National Park. The program is made possible by the South Florida National Parks Trust through the generosity of Sedano’s Supermarkets, Redwood Creek Winery and the Miami-Dade County Division of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.

For more details about the exhibit, contact park ranger Gary Bremen at 305-230-1144, x007. For regular updates from the park, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BiscayneNPS.