The People of Careoregon

Louise Johnson a 78-year-old grandmother with a hip replacement keeps active by walking to visit neighborhood friends and relatives, and keeping her own door wide open to visitors. She enjoys simple pleasures such as teaching her grandson Cory to cook.
Photographer Bruce Davidson, who earned critical acclaim for his work during the Civil Rights Era, is in Oregon this week showing his photographic exhibit "We the People." The exhibit tells inspiring stories of individual strength, pride and dignity showcasing members of CareOregon, a nonprofit health plan that serves low-income people insured by Medicaid, Medicare or the Oregon Health Plan. About 70 percent of CareOregon members are children.
"These people and others are more or less invisible to the general public, and it is important to me that this imagery be very human where the 'ordinary' person can see it, identify, and see themselves in the images. In talking with the people I photographed, I found their words to be incredibly powerful."
Davidson's previous work has included documenting the social conditions of families and children in East Harlem. His photographs have been displayed at some of the most prestigious galleries and museums in the world. "We the People" Exhibit: From Sept. 7, at the Oregon Department of Human Services building, 500 Summer St. N.E. in Salem.
"Journey of Consciousness: 50 Years in Photography" Lecture featuring Bruce Davidson at the Portland Art Museum's Whitsell Auditorium. Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. Tickets from Portland Art Museum box office at 503-226-0973.