The exhibit will be displayed in select Nordstrom stores and will feature works inspired by the photographers' interpretation of love in our times.

The exhibit is a public tribute to the art and talent of black professional photographers and to honor the contributions that African-Americans have made to society as a whole. The exhibit will be displayed the entire month of February.

"We are excited and honored to feature the work of these talented photographers in our stores during Black History Month," said Delena Sunday, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Diversity Affairs. "The photographs are truly a celebration of life and the richness diversity brings to our communities."

The exhibit will feature ten photographers:

• Aida Muluneh; Washington DC
• Calvin French; New York, N.Y.
• Sinden Collier; Los Angeles, Calif.
• Kwaku Alston; Los Angeles, Calif.
• Matthew Jordan Smith; New York, N.Y.
• Pauline St. Denis; New York, N.Y.
• Janusz Kawa; New York, N.Y.
• Carl Posey; New York, N.Y.
• Sean Drakes; New York, N.Y.
• Griff Davis; Atlanta, Ga. (1923-1993)

Among the featured photographers are Aida Muluneh from Washington D.C., Matthew Jordan Smith from New York City, and the late Griff Davis from Atlanta. Aida Muluneh hopes that her work will serve as a catalyst to change perceptions about people of color around the world. A native of Ethiopia and a freelance photographer for the Washington Post, she began capturing still images in high school and graduated from the film department at Howard University. In May some of her work will be on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.

In addition to his work as a photographer, Matthew Jordan Smith will soon launch his career as a commercial film director, producing a 12-city Celebrity College Tour this fall. The tour will take some of today's hottest celebrities to colleges across the country to talk about how they made their dreams come true. A native of Columbia, S.C., he is also a teacher and active in enlightening students on the art of photography. Smith is also the author/creator of Sepia Dreams, A Celebration of African-American Achievement Through Words and Images, a collection of photographs and interviews with 50 African-American celebrities.

"Griff" Davis was born in 1923 on the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. After serving in WWII he returned there to receive a B.A. After graduating in 1947 he worked as the first roving editor of Ebony Magazine. In 1948 he attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism as the only black student in his class and received his M.A. While covering the missionary movement in Liberia for Ebony Magazine, Griff became one of the pioneers of President Truman's Point 4 program. Among his many contributions, Griff donated 7,000 photographs and negatives documenting social and economic development in Liberia to Howard University, and 354 historic photographic exposures of Langston Hughes and others to Duke University. In 1985, Griff returned to Atlanta to retire, and died on July 22, 1993.

Exhibit Locations

The exhibit will be on display at Nordstrom stores in: Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Littleton, Colo.; San Francisco; San Diego; Costa Mesa, Calif.; Brea, Calif.; Redondo Beach, Calif.; Arlington, Va.; Chicago; Indianapolis; Dallas; Atlanta; Durham, N.C.; and Paramus, N.J.

In conjunction with the exhibit, three Nordstrom stores will also participate in events benefiting local African-American organizations. Nordstrom in downtown Seattle and Portland are participating sponsors for a Maya Angelou reading at local theatres.