SLAF Program Guide 2021

2021 Commemorative Print Artist Radim Schreiber is a nature photographer who was born in Czechoslovakia in 1978. Fireflies are rare in his home country and are said to be “bludicky,” or honored spirits of the marsh. However, during his time studying English in the Midwest, he discovered an abundance of fireflies during the summer nights, which reminded him of fairies in the woods. He soon decided to follow his passion for photography, and in 1998 he began his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Iowa. Since graduating with his BFA, he has never stopped learning about insects. Throughout the years, he has come to know many of the world’s leading scientists who specialize in fireflies. He can recognize eight different species of firefly and has seen firsthand how each one appears in a photograph. He even travels the world to capture just the right shot. His dedication to photographing insects, wildlife, and landscapes has earned him 25 art show and competition awards throughout his career. Schreiber’s photographs begin as mere visual inspiration that eventually turn into a sketch of an image he wants to capture. In 2003, inspiration struck while he was on a plane, so he made a drawing on paper of a glowing firefly on a blade of grass with the moon shining against the night sky. At that time, however, there had not been enough advancements in the low light capabilities of cameras to fully capture his vision for the final work. Finally in 2008, technology began to catch up with his vision for his firefly photos, and from then on, he has spent his summers photographing and recording fireflies. Fireflies, along with many other insects and animals, have greatly recovered as a result of less human activity in the past year. Schreiber himself hopes that by spreading the joy of fireflies, more people will be motivated to protect the natural beauty that he preserves with his camera. ‘When I walk through a quiet forest in the middle of the night full of fireflies, I feel like I am in a magical forest. I see fireflies being a mere reflection of stars under the Milky Way, I feel connected to everything in the universe. They are communicating to me. I am listening…’ The Commemorative Print will be for sale at the Pop-Up Shop at the intersection of Central and Forsyth 2