An exhibition showcasing the iconic photos of the late, gifted, Jewish photographer Andy Sweet.

Sweet captured the once-thriving and now-diminished Jewish community in Miami Beach, Florida during the 1970s. His stunning photos document the lives of older Jewish immigrants, many of them Holocaust survivors, as they joyously lived out their last days over a ten-year period which also proved to be the end of an era in post-war American Jewish history.

Pioneering color photography in the documentary tradition, Sweet’s work has been recognized by regional and National Endowment for the Arts grants and with exhibitions in art galleries and museums across the country. His photographs are a visual time capsule, reflecting the strong sense of the Jewish community’s traditions and celebrations of that era.

This exhibition will be especially timely as the South Bend Jewish community begins to address its own declining numbers and looks for ways to avoid suffering the same fate as the South Beach shtetl.

Sweet’s archivist, South Bend native Ed Christin, will speak at the opening of the exhibition. We will also screen the award-winning documentary, “The Last Resort,” which tells the story of Sweet and fellow photographer Gary Monroe and the community they photographed. The screening will be presented free of charge at the Leighton Auditorium in the St. Joseph County Public Library on Tuesday, August 29th at 7:00 PM.