Barrington residents team up for exhibit

Thomas Balsamo believes you can see a lot in a person's eyes.

The Barrington-based photographer is accustomed to using the eyes of his subjects to draw the public into the message behind the images.

He used that philosophy when he shot photographs for "I Have a Voice," a traveling exhibit featuring black and white pictures of children and young adults with Down syndrome. The exhibit will appear at the Ela Area Public Library for the month of March.

Down syndrome slows physical and intellectual development and is the most common chromosomal disorder, according to the National Association for Down syndrome.

"I Have a Voice" is about 32 feet in length and 8 feet tall; it takes 3 to 5 hours to set up, said Christy Wagner, Ela Library's outreach coordinator. The name, age and a quote from each subject accompanies the portraits.

"It resonates that we are all human, we have so much more in common than we realize," Wagner said.

Balsamo, who has released a book on autism, said knew he wanted to work on a project on Down syndrome but needed a message. He teamed up with Nancy Gianni, a Barrington resident who runs a nonprofit awareness center that focuses on the talents of individuals with Down syndrome, to get the project in gear.

Gianni started the center, GiGi's Playhouse, a year after her daughter, Gigi, was born with Down syndrome. Now, after less than six years, GiGi's Playhouse has four locations in Illinois and one opening in Iowa in March.

Balsamo spent a year shooting photographs for the "I Have a Voice" project, which is currently being laid out as a book. He said they are trying to raise $100,000 to self-publish the book.

Ela Library will have an opening reception for the exhibit March 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. Gianni will speak at the reception, which Wagner said she hopes will draw several hundred people. The reception will also include performances by the Center Stage Performing Troupe and the Metropolis Performing Art Center's Flourish in the Footlights.

"I specifically chose those two organizations because they feature people with special needs in a performing role," Wagner said.