The Genuine Men Project celebrates everyday men who define what it means to be a person of character, strength and authenticity. The project includes a photography exhibition and book, Genuine Men: Journeys in Stories and Stills, which feature candid black-and-white photographs and life-defining stories of 35 men. Photographer and author Nancy Bruno uses black and white 35mm photography to capture the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life. The Genuine Men Project expands on Bruno’s most recent community art project, The Beautiful Women Project, which encourages women of all ages, sizes and backgrounds to embrace a healthier notion of “beauty.”

Phenix & Phenix Press Release

Finding inspiration from Genuine Men

Book and photography exhibit focuses on male role models

ALBANY, N.Y. - Americans expect politicians, church leaders, business executives and professional athletes to serve as positive role models for today’s youth. But in recent months there’s been a flurry of media attention surrounding high-profile men behaving badly. From Governor Spitzer to Reverend Wright, Michael Vick to Dennis Rodman, men who once served as role models no longer fill the shoes. In the wake of such news, many are left wondering where the genuine role models have gone.

As a mother of two young boys, photographer and author Nancy Bruno is spearheading a movement to address the need for positive male role models in today’s society. Bruno has launched The Genuine Men Project to celebrate everyday men who define what it means to be a person of character, strength and authenticity. The project includes a photography exhibition and book, Genuine Men: Journeys in Stories and Stills (Bridgeway Books, May 2008) which feature candid black-and-white photographs and life-defining stories of 35 men from the community.

“Men today continue to be judged by their jobs, bank accounts, cars, homes and outward appearance,” says Bruno, who holds bachelor’s degrees in historical sociology and literature/rhetoric. “Powerful role models should not be defined by material gain and physical perfection but by the way the face and live through their life experiences. The Genuine Men Project captures the essence of what it means to be a man worth emulating.”

The Genuine Men Project expands on Bruno’s most recent community art project, The Beautiful Women Project, which encourages women of all ages, sizes and backgrounds to embrace a healthier notion of “beauty.” Bruno has teamed both projects up with several non-profit organizations such as the American Heart Association and YMCA Outreach for Youth to raise money and awareness for their causes.

An award-winning documentary photographer, Bruno uses black and white 35mm photography to capture the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life. She uses her ability to become “invisible” to her subjects as her means of examining and photographing humanity. Along with her husband and two sons, Bruno lives just outside of Albany, N.Y., where she continues to photograph life’s most wonderful untold stories.

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