Conflict Zone Photography Exhibit at the National Press Club August 8 - 29

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Aug 11, 2011, 03:46 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Conflict Zone, a groundbreaking conflict photography exhibit, will be on view from Aug. 8 to Aug. 29 at the National Press Club.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080917/NPCLOGO)

The show is being sponsored in Washington by the Independence Fund, The Washington Post Company and the National Veterans Art Museum.

"I'm very pleased the National Press Club will be displaying this remarkable work, not only for our members, but also for the many people who happen to be in our facility on any given day," said Club President Mark Hamrick, an Associated Press broadcast journalist. "These images serve as a reminder not only of the human toll from conflict, but also of the immense contributions and sacrifice of journalists who report in dangerous regions. Just as our service personnel make the ultimate sacrifice, all too often, so do journalists."

Nearly 40 photographs from Conflict Zone's permanent collection are part of the exhibit at the Club, which features a special display dedicated to Chris Hondros, the Getty Images photographer who died in April while on assignment in Libya. Hondros was a key supporter of the exhibit since its inception last year.

Conflict Zone was inspired by Joao Silva, the New York Times photographer who lost both legs in a landmine blast in October 2010 in Afghanistan. Brought together by the non-profit Independence Fund, Silva's colleagues from the press corps donated their images for an exhibit that features some of the most celebrated conflict journalists and photographers of this generation. No one associated with the project is being paid.

Silva's haunting series of images snapped in the seconds after he was injured in the blast are included in Conflict Zone, which also features the iconic image from Hondros of a screaming 5-year-old girl whose parents were shot and killed in 2005 at a checkpoint in Iraq. The New York Times found the girl this year, and Ayman Oghanna's photograph of her at age 12 also is featured.

Half of any proceeds raised through Conflict Zone will be donated to the Joao Silva Fund, 25 percent to the Fisher House and the remainder to support the Independence Fund, a volunteer organization that helps meet some of the long-term financial and equipment needs of severely injured troops and their families. Conflict Zone is the creation of the Independence Fund.

A list of all contributors and their biographies is on the Conflict Zone Web site at www.conflictzone.org.

The Press Club is on the 13th floor, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

About the National Press Club

The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists with more than 3,400 members worldwide representing every major news organization. More than 250,000 people visit the Club each year to attend more than 2,000 events. The Club was founded in 1908 and is on the web at press.org.

SOURCE National Press Club