RIPON, Wis. –Artist Michael Kienitz will feature his photography exhibit, “Small Arms: Children of Conflict” as part of Ripon College’s Caestecker Fine Arts Series at the C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts. The exhibit will open with an artist reception at 7 p.m Friday, Sept. 12 and will close Sunday, Oct. 12.

During his time as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kienitz worked on the film “The War at Home,” which chronicled the Madison antiwar movement during the Vietnam War and was nominated for an Academy Award. Kienitz’s photography has appeared in Life, Time, Newsweek and other publications worldwide. His work has been exhibited in the United States, Europe and Central America.

Of his “Small Arms” exhibit, Kienitz describes it as “a collection of children dealing with the impact of social and economic conditions dictated by adults and their politics. It is an attempt via photography to unite subject and viewer in a sometimes comfortable and sometimes uncomfortable manner.”

“Michael Kienitz’s powerful and beautiful photographs of children caught in war zones underscores how insulated we are and how little we know of the innocent civilian casualties, among whom of course are children,” said Eugene Kain, associate professor of art and director of the Caestecker Art Gallery. “I hope that this exhibit will light a candle of sympathy and inspire our youth to reach out, help out and somehow find a way to put a stop to inhumane behavior.”

About Ripon College
Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has consistently been recognized as a “best value” and “Best 368 College” by The Princeton Review, a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s, a “Best Liberal-Arts College” by Washington Monthly, one of America's Best Colleges by Forbes, and is listed among the 160 best schools in the nation by Colleges of Distinction. For more information about Ripon College, visit www.ripon.edu.

Michael Kienitz