Bridges to Understanding celebrates the exquisite photography of award-winning Seattle artist Phil Borges.

For many years, Borges dreamed of connecting children of diverse cultures in a manner that goes beyond photographs and books. He realized this dream with the creation of BRIDGES to Understanding, a non-profit organization and website that electronically links children and schools around the world through shared storytelling and photography.

The current exhibition shows photographs taken by Borges of children in Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru, Mexico, Tibet and India. The images are heart-warming yet gripping and provocative. They remind us of the richness of our lives in North America and simultaneously reveal the tenuous but indomitable grasp on life in many other countries. Tapping deeply into the human spirit of his subjects, Borges reveals a portrait of lives lived close to the land and the close ties between the children and their families, communities, precious pets and livestock.

Photographs by Phil Borges have been collected and exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. His award-winning books have been published in four languages and in 1998 he was presented the Photo Media Magazine "Photoperson of the Year" award. Borges is co-founder of Blue Earth Alliance, a 501-C3 organization that sponsors photographic projects focusing on endangered cultures and threatened environments. Borges graduated from UCSF as a Regents Scholar in 1969. He practiced Orthodontics in Northern California for 18 years prior to his second career as a photographer. He lives with his family in Seattle, where he oversees the world-wide Bridges project.