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Health & Fitness

"The Blues Highway" photographs by Nancy Ortenberg at the Library through February

Nancy Ortenberg will share photographs from her travels to Mississippi Delta where she started photographing blues musicians and their environments during the 1980's.

Long-time Oak Park resident Nancy Rose Ortenberg will share photographs from her travels to Mississippi Delta where she started photographing blues musicians and their environments during the 1980's. Her exhibit, titled “The Blues Highway: From Mississippi to Chicago” will be at Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street, through February 27. A reception for Nancy Ortenberg will be held Sunday, February 10 from 3 to 5 pm in the library’s art gallery. The exhibit is open seven days a week during regular library hours. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.

Nancy Ortenberg was working on a photography degree at Columbia College Chicago where she met Sterling Plump, an author and writer of blues poetry. While Nancy took photographs, using black and white film and Nikon cameras, Plump wrote poetry. Together they mounted exhibits of photographs of local blues musicians at which Sterling Plump read poetry.

Returning to Chicago, Nancy continued taking photographs of musicians including Valerie Wellington, Barbara LaShore, Billy Branch, Magic Slim and others in clubs including Blues, Kingston Mines Rosa’s and Blue Chicago.
 
Nancy graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in photography. She also earned a two-year degree in early childhood education from Triton College. She is currently retired and working on a nature project which she hopes will become a book someday. Nancy has been an active member of the Oak Park Photography Club since its founding in 2004. She has moved on to digital photography – a whole new world!

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