TAMPA, Fla., – Photographer Tim Duffy’s exhibition “Our Living Past: A Platinum Portrait of Music Maker” is on view now through Feb. 28 at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in downtown Tampa.

In “Our Living Past,” Duffy immortalizes dozens of Southern Blues icons that he’s met over the course of his 35-year career as an artist and activist. Duffy is the founder and executive director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve the musical traditions of the South by directly supporting the artists who make it. Music Maker provides grants, emergency assistance and opportunities to both aging and emerging musicians rooted in the Blues tradition. “Our Living Past” shows their story.
Originally created as tintypes, the photographs in this exhibition have been reprinted using the unique platinum palladium photographic process, which allows for a broad tonal range and depth that approaches the appearance of the originals. The result is a stunning collection of images that perfectly resonate with the age and tone of the musicians they capture.

“The photographer intends for these images to revitalize what might be seen as a marginal community, and he is able to celebrate these musicians through the power of photography,” said FMoPA’s executive director, Zora Carrier, Ph.D. “Photography is an especially powerful medium because of its ability to document important events and people while also remaining aesthetically pleasing as a fine-art form.”

In a related event, FMoPA and Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts (TBBCA) will host a cultural encounter at 5 p.m. on Feb. 16 with University of Tampa professor and author, John Capouya. His novel, “Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band,” draws on extensive interviews with surviving Floridian musicians to honor the achievements of Soul’s golden age. The event will include a reading from the novel, discussion and a tour of “Our Living Past.”

“Our Living Past” is generously sponsored by the Puffin Foundation, Ltd. It will be on view during regular museum operating hours and is included in the general admission price. Museum admission is free for members and $10 for not-yet-members.
To learn more about this exhibition and others at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, visit www.fmopa.org.