By Melissa Macker, The 567 Center for Renewal

Most people have already forgotten about the earthquake that shook Haiti 3 years ago. After all, there have been enough tragedies, both in the U.S. and abroad, to worry about since then. Photographer Ross Oscar Knight (no relation to Knight Foundation), however, has not forgotten the orphans he met during his trip to Haiti in 2010.

The children were the photographer’s inspiration for “Beauty in the Face of Destruction”, the exhibit currently on display at The 567 Center for Renewal (a Knight Arts grantee). For Knight, the orphand  are not only a reminder of the tragedy, but a symbol of hope. In his photographs, some of the children stare with bold determination, while others rest or play, showing how life goes on.

At the opening reception of the exhibit on Jan. 4, Knight moved seamlessly through the crowd, ready to answer questions and share his passion. At the height of the reception, he unveiled his showcase piece, “Beauty in the Face of Destruction”, a picture of a girl in a tattered dress. He explained how, while newspapers and television shared many images of destruction after the earthquake, he wanted to tell a different story through his photography—a story of beauty in the faces of people like that little girl.

Knight has many more stories to share.  He will share insights and anecdotes about the exhibit at a gallery talk at The 567 on Jan. 17 at 6 pm. At the talk, Knight will also discuss his approach to photography and tell his own story from being an engineer to becoming an international photographer. This event is free and open to the public.

“Unguarded,” by Ross Oscar Knight, is currentlyon display at The 567