A Visit With Man Ray: Memoir and Photo Book

After people see the photograph of me and Man Ray together, they always ask, “How did you meet Man Ray?” I’ve told the story many times. Now I would like to use Awesome Project funds to produce a small, elegant book about this special meeting so that it can be enjoyed by many others. The book will include 18 black and white photographs and a short memoir that I wrote about “MY DAY WITH RAY”.

Back in 1972 I was on Christmas break from Tyler School of Art in Rome. One my of my dreams was to meet an artist I admired greatly, and I was lucky enough to be invited to visit renowned artist/photographer Man Ray at his studio in Paris. I had my trusty Pentax around my neck, and Man Ray suggested I take some photographs. So with a young man’s enthusiasm and innocence, I got off 18 shots, including a portrait of the two of us with a self timer.
When I came back to the United States, I wrote up my memories of that magical day and put together a homemade book which I sent to Man Ray. Months later he sent me a thank you note on a postcard. I’ve shared the little homemade book with friends throughout the years, and they’ve always encouraged me to publish it.

More than 40 years later, I am ready to do it. I have everything in place to start the project except for funding. I have partnered with an Oahu-based project manager and chosen a local printer capable of turning out a museum-quality edition. The book will be around 32 pages and priced affordably at around $15.00. It will include correspondence I had with Man Ray’s wife Juliette Man Ray after Man Ray’s death, and a forward by prominent Man Ray scholar Francis Naumann.

Last summer in NYC, I showed my memoir and photographs to book buyers at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Photography Center. Both felt that, if made into a book, it would be a good seller in their stores. Man Ray is one of the most important artists of the 20th century and interest in him continues to grow.

Funded by Oahu, HI (May 2014)