Discover the Sacred Places of the Southwest 
Photography exhibition features ancient Native American dwelling places

ATLANTA (Sep. 15) — Within the mystical setting of deteriorated ancient structures, the silent voices of Native American civilizations of long ago speak through the photography of Claus Mroczynski. The spirit of the landscapes and the people who once called these extraordinary sites home is pervasive in the exhibition Sacred Places of the Southwest, on view at Fernbank Museum of Natural History from October 1, 2005–January 1, 2006.

   Ranging from wide landscape shots to closer, more detailed images of some of the ancient Indian dwellings found throughout the Southwest, Mroczynski describes his photographs as capturing the mystery of these places and their surroundings.

   “I stand in awe of this ancient people, who once lived in the often harsh, yet magnificently beautiful landscape, and who built their homes in places which seem completely inaccessible,” said Mroczynski. “From the most primitive objects they wrought an architecture so simple, useful and yet lasting.”

   Mroczynski enjoyed a successful career as a commercial photographer before turning his attention to fine art photography and the preservation of the environment. Now, he travels well off the beaten path, sometimes hiking 20 miles or more with 40 to 50 pounds of photography equipment to find the ancient dwellings in which Native Americans once lived. 

   Sacred Places of the Southwest is part of the Native American theme that is headlining Fernbank’s programming this fall. The special exhibition, Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Art of the Northwest and Southwest, opening October 1, features a stunning array of some 500 pieces of contemporary and historic jewelry and artifacts that celebrates the beauty, power and symbolism of Native American arts. Mroczynski’s Sacred Places is a visually engaging complement to Totems to Turquoise, and depicting dramatic landscapes and ancient Native American dwellings found throughout the Southwest in a collection of black-and-white photographs. 

   Another view of the region can be found in the large-format film, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets, which shows in Fernbank’s IMAX® Theatre from October 1, 2005—February 10, 2006 to offer an in-depth exploration of the immense beauty and magnificent grandeur of the Grand Canyon, a place often depicted in Southwestern art motifs. 

   Fernbank Museum is located at 767 Clifton Road. Sacred Places is included with Museum admission and parking is free. Admission is $12 for adults, $11 for students/seniors and $10 for children 12 and under. For more information call 404.929.6300 or visit www.fernbank.edu/museum.