Wide Format Imaging

Making landfall in Burma (officially known as Myanmar) on May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis was the second deadliest named cyclone of all time. The worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma, the cyclone resulted in catastrophic destruction, including 84,537 fatalities, 19,359 injuries and 53,836 still reported missing and presumed dead. With damage estimated at over $4 billion, the country is continuing to appeal for additional foreign aid to put the survivors of Cyclone Nargis back on their feet.

According to Photographer and Artist Doug Adams, Burma’s military junta severely enhanced the extent of the tragedy by initially refusing to allow foreign relief workers and restricting the distribution of aid. Declaring the actions of the military junta as a case of crimes against humanity, Adams was devastated by the horrifying images left in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. 

“My heart went out to the people of Burma and my anger grew when it quickly became obvious that the ruling military junta prevented desperately needed aid to the cyclone victims,” said Adams.

Having spent time in Burma in January of 2008 as a member of an international group of photographers working with acclaimed National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, the tragedy became personal for Adams. And with that, Adams took on the cause by finding a reliable and efficient means of delivering aid directly to the people of the devastated Irrawaddy Delta—the “Images of Burma” Benefit Photography Exhibit for the Relief Efforts in Myanmar. Having done a similar benefit after the tsunami in Sri Lanka, Adams knew that hosting an exhibition of his work would be a reliable and efficient way to raise money for the victims.

To turn his ambition into a reality, Adams needed to find a host for the event and produce the artwork for the entire exhibition in a greatly accelerated timeframe. For that, Adams turned to Jonathan Singer of Boston, Massachusetts-based Singer Editions, a fine-art digital printmaking studio specializing in the production of limited-edition color and black-and-white prints. Not only did Singer immediately tackle the production of the prints, but he also knew the perfect person to host the fundraiser—Robert Klein.

As President of the Board of Directors of The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), Robert Klein is dedicated to advancing the appreciation of the art of photography. Focused on exclusively showcasing fine art photography of both established photographers of the 19th and 20th centuries as well as newer photographers, the Robert Klein Gallery in Boston was the ideal venue to host such an exhibition. Without hesitation, Klein was on board to host the event, which was just two weeks away.

Once the date was set, Singer and Adams began the production process. As a specialist in working with discriminating artists to produce high-quality fine art prints, Singer approached the project with a traditional fine art printmaking perspective. With Adams’ vision in mind, the two collaboratively worked together to proof and refine the images until both Singer and the artist were satisfied.