It’s been almost six months since Bob Carey’s world completely changed. The photographer, who grew up in Phoenix but now works in New York, had been working on a series of self-portraits, each featuring Carey wearing only a large tutu in landscapes and backdrops across the country. Images from his project, called Ballerina, had been showcased in galleries and museums and caught the attention of a few foundations that approached his with an opportunity to raise money for breast cancer research.
He says the series wasn't always about breast cancer, but when his wife was diagnosed, he threw himself into his work and quickly saw the connection. In the last six months, Carey’s been on national television, in publications around the world, and has traveled around the country sharing his project and self-published book, also titled Ballerina, that collects his Tutu Project and includes a forward by Amy Arbus and backstory by New Times contributor Kathleen Vanesian.
Photographs from his tutu project (as well as his tutu) are also on view at Mesa Arts Center, One East Main Street, through Sunday, December 2, in the exhibition "Ballerina."
Fri., Sept. 14, 7-10 p.m.; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 12-5 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Starts: Sept. 14. Continues through Dec. 2, 2012
