Dede Pickering "Spirit of Unity" Exhibition — Dede Pickering

Unity of Spirit

Blazing Editions had a delightful experience working with Dede Pickering and her adventurous imager. Visiting over 100 countries, Pickering’s photography captures the everyday life in marginalized communities. The people of Cuba were captured with Dede’s empathy and love towards them. She has captures the colorful, compassionate, and spirit through past and present of Cuba’s turbulent history. Her imagery is all done on aluminum metal ranging from from all sizes between 24x36" to 30x44".

“Unity of Spirit Photographs of Cuba” is running from September 9th - December 7th

Located at The Episcopal Church of The Heavenly Rest
1085 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10128

The Gallery is open Monday - Friday Noon - 6 pm
Sundays 8 am - 2 pm

ABOUT DEDE PICKERING

Pickering's photographs are meant to be a bridge between cultures and to express the universal human spirit. On a more personal level, they are a spiritual journey. A journey that opens the door into many diverse cultures. She is driven by her own curiosity, sense of adventure and desire to explore unknown corners of the world. Pickering has been a traveler for a long time before she became a photographer. Discovering the world has been a life long personal journey for Dede, which has consisted of soul-searching and self-discovery. Recording what she has seen has given her an increased empathy and connection to the world.

Artist Statement

My photographs are a bridge between cultures and express a universal human spirit while paralleling my journey. A journey that opens the door to many diverse cultures. My camera has given me a way to relate to the world and new meaning to my travels.

I am motivated by my curiosity, sense of adventure and desire to explore the unknown. Discovering the world has been a lifelong personal journey of soul-searching and self-discovery. I was a traveler long before I was a photographer. Recording what I see has given me an increased empathy and connection to the world. I have found that I have so much in common with people of different cultures. The differences challenge me to see new possibilities within myself.

Camera in hand, I've traveled to seven continents and more than one hundred countries, never hesitating to return to my favorite destinations. My passion remains The Far East, particularly the Buddhist areas that border the great Himalayan Mountain range. I continue to uncover a sacred way and spirit within the world's ancient cultures.

My interest in photography grew out of curiosity, awe, and wonder. I wanted to record what I witnessed during my journeys to different cultures and, more importantly, what I felt while traveling our complex planet.

Stepping into the shoes of others was something I could only imagine. My camera changed that and served as a bridge to my subject, allowing me to record hope and despair. I document people and their everyday life, especially in marginalized communities.

When I photograph, I enter the family of man and discover things within myself. Photography helps me search profoundly and intensely for expression and connection with my subject, even in the darkest circumstances. Looking into the eyes of others has served as my reflection and helped me realize that we all share one world with similar dreams and aspirations.

Interacting with strangers is one of photography's greatest gifts. Traveling and welcoming the unknown has changed my life for the better. Based on what I have witnessed during my travels, I know that every person can make a difference for good in this world. Even the biggest dreams and most ambitious goals begin with the actions of individuals, often beyond our borders.

Being involved in non-government charity work on behalf of women and children worldwide adds purpose and meaning to my life and photography. I am committed to the mission of CARE, an international humanitarian agency, delivering emergency relief and focusing on fighting global poverty. I am currently a founding member of The New York Committee for CARE. And the past co-founder and Chair of the New York Women's Initiative. I have witnessed CARE'S work in India, Kosovo, Guatemala, Ghana, Togo, and Benin and know the difference they make in communities.

When I combined my love of travel and photography to benefit humanity, everything changed, and my life came together meaningfully. My camera and my curiosity have led me off the beaten path. The journey is often more important than the image to me. My lens has allowed me to look inside the lives of others and blur the differences.

The person I am today reflects the places I have traveled and the people I have met. From the streets of Cuba to the Arctic and Antarctic to Africa, the Himalayas, and beyond. Is it the stories within stories that keep me coming back for more? Or wondering where is the beginning or end. What do I find when I peel back the layers? Does one door lead to another? What lies within, beyond, and ahead?

I have a newfound fascination for photographing the colors, patterns, and shapes of ice and icebergs. I teetered between the tips of the world with a curiosity once reserved for people and streets. The realm of ice is a mysterious world I can't get out of my head. What do these two worlds I've been photographing have in common? After all, aren't streets just spiderwebs of abstraction-like patterns in the ice?

I search the world for the questions I cannot answer and the connections I want to make—the passage of a lifetime.