Through the lens of her cameras, renowned photojournalist and filmmaker Catherine Bauknight has captured some of the most pivotal moments and influential figures of the past 40-plus years.
Bauknight, who has been called a messenger of cultural voices, was in Burbank last week as her exhibition, “All One World: Turn of the Century 20th-21st,” opened at the Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center Gallery.
The festive opening night reception, staged by Jackie Lewis Media and hosted by Virginia Causton-Keene, who serves as the gallery’s director, saw more than 200 people gather for a Hawaiian-themed evening that included cultural performances and the opportunity to hear Bauknight share memories, anecdotes, insights and takeaways from her storied career.
A South Carolinian whose work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, USA Today, the New York Times, People, Rolling Stone and Life, Bauknight has photographed hundreds of luminaries, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Muhammad Ali, Hillary Clinton and numerous U.S. presidents.
As a photojournalist she has often found herself in dangerous situations, including being detained in countries such as Peru, Saudi Arabia and China. She was also one of only four photographers to capture the historic democratic protests and bloody massacre in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Her documentary films have been lauded for elevating social change and sparking positive communication and dialogue between people of all cultures. Her 2012 film “Hawaii A Voice For Sovereignty” won eight prestigious awards for highlighting the native Hawaiian struggle for cultural preservation and sovereignty. She also produced a 23-still-image documentary, “The Renaissance of The Catawba Indians,” which follows the Catawba Nation of the Carolinas through its land claim and federal recognition in the 1990s, and the revival of the tribe’s cultural heritage.
Her documentary work has also brought her to Burbank, where, for over a year and a half she documented the construction of MSG Sphere Studios’ Burbank Sphere on Empire Avenue, the massive dome that serves as a workshop in which to develop original content and immersive experiences for MSG Sphere venues.
The theme of Bauknight’s current exhibit, which will run through July 25, is to provide a peaceful movement that connects humanity globally and reduces the fear of cultural differences through her coverage of events and people from five continents.
“This has always been [the] goal of my photography, to show the world that we should not come from fear of differences but connect globally for a higher conscience [and] knowledge for a peaceful future together,” said Bauknight, who called her show “an educational experience connecting people through photography.”
Along with some of Bauknight’s family members visiting from Norway and longtime friends who flew in from North Carolina specifically for last week’s opening, the assemblage included local dignitaries and numerous notables from the world of photojournalism, entertainment and local government.
Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz and Vice Mayor Nikki Pérez, who were on hand, welcomed Bauknight with a certificate or recognition on behalf of the City Council.
Noteworthy image capturers who came out in support of Bauknight included former John Burroughs High School photography teacher and Burbank Leader staff photographer Bonnie Burrow; Rick Meyer, late of the Los Angeles Times, who was twice named a Pulitzer Prize finalist; and the legendary Huynh Công Út, known professionally as Nick Ut, the Associated Press photographer who captured the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a then-9-year-old girl, Phan Thiị Kim Phúc, fleeing a South Vietnamese napalm attack on the Trang Bàng village during the Vietnam War.
Among those from the entertainment world in attendance were actress and Hualapai Tribe member Camille Nighthorse; actor Kamaka Brown, who emceed the evening’s program; recording artist Peter Foldy; Hungarian actor, model, producer and four-time world champion fitness athlete Bella Trost, who wrote and directed the recently released documentary, “The Man Who Revealed The Secret Of Stradivari”; actor, comedian, red carpet host and television personality Jaime Monroy; Emmy Award-winning actress Patrika Darbo; actor and former child star Rodney Allen Rippy, best-known for his Jack in the Box commercials of the early 1970s; Joey Zhou, founder of the Los Angeles Beverly Arts Biennial International Art Festival and entrepreneur Donna White.
Catherine Bauknight’s “All One World: Turn of the Century 20th-21st” will run through July 25 at The Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center Gallery, located at 1100 W. Clark Ave. in George Izay Park. For more information regarding the exhibit, call (818) 238-5397.
DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
