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Photographer Mike Dunn with some of the subjects of his “The New 65” exhibit, including local rancher Jimmy Chapman, who isn’t slowing down in his 70s. PHOTO/DAVID CHIVERS -
Photographer Mike Dunn with some of the subjects of his “The New 65” exhibit, including local rancher Jimmy Chapman, who isn’t slowing down in his 70s. PHOTO/DAVID CHIVERS
Dozens of Osceola residents are featured in “The New 65” fine art portrait photo exhibit by renowned Florida portrait artist Mike Dunn, at the Humana Neighborhood Center in Kissimmee. “The New 65” exhibit works to dismiss outdated views on aging and realizing that it’s never too late to create a happier and healthier future for oneself.
At the opening of the exhibit and open house last Thursday, the people photographed got to see how their portraits came out and will be displayed. The life-sized full color face portraits each have a story attached underneath them describing the person’s story as they stay busy well past the age of 65.
“I love work that fits into a series,” said photographer Mike Dunn. “I love when you can shoot a lot of people in a similar style, and then the similarities kind of emerge when you see them next to each other. I think that’s what is achieved today.
“There was a built-in community of people who come here almost every single day. They form friendships and they take part in activities together. It was just a natural group of people that are usually here that we could document individually. It’s just great to be here and see their reactions to seeing their portrait treated with the level of art that I think it deserves.”
Along with being a photographer, Dunn is a professor of media communications at Full Sail University.
This project is focused on the Humana Neighborhood Center of Kissimmee, which offers programs and activities designed to help and improve physical and mental health including many services which can be used at no cost, and organized through the Growing Bolder program, a company focused on active lifestyle content creation for the 50-plus crowd.
“What this whole project is about, is about passion and purpose for helping everybody, every individual living the best life that they can as they age,” said Marc Middleton, CEO of the Growing Bolder. He talked to the gathered participants about what his staff had learned from the subjects of the project. “We learned that you people are happy. You smile easily. You smile authentically. You’re optimistic and optimism is contagious. It’s not only good for you; it’s good for those around you.”
Among those featured in the exhibit are 99-year-old artist Nadia Nezel, 73-year-old Kissimmee Mayor Olga Gonzalez, 75-year-old Fernando Raymundo, and third-generation Osceola County rancher Jimmy Chapman, who at 73 still runs the Double C Bar Ranch with his wife Leslie and four children, raising Bramhan bulls, commercial beef, and blueberries.
“We really don’t have to work because we love what we do,” said Chapman. “Anytime you enjoy what you’re doing, it’s not like you have to go to a job every day.”
“It’s amazing,” Mayor Gonzalez. “It’s really, really great to see people of my age that have so much spunk. It’s good to know that there’s other people like us. It’s inspiring because there’s a lot of people that keep busy, and that’s what’s important. You need to keep going. I’m 73 and I’m still going.”
“I love characters more than anything,” Dunn said, reflecting on the project. “Finding subjects that have a story to tell is the most important thing to me. When you have that working relationship to take a portrait of someone, you’re looking for the story in their face as quickly as possible.”
The public is welcome to come view the exhibit at the Humana Neighborhood Center, 3189 W. Vine Street, Kissimmee, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The exhibit will run through December.
