Dunedin, Florida, population 36,640, sits on Florida's west coast, just north of Clearwater and north of St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida's most densely populated county. Construction and health care are Dunedin's two largest industries (although only 36 new homes were built there in 2006). There is not a single movie theatre screen within its city limits, and the city, rather than support its own police department, contracts with the county sheriff for law enforcement. This arrangement has seemingly worked very well, and sheriff's vehicles can routinely be seen patrolling Dunedin's residential areas.

The name Dunedin comes from the Scottish Gaelic for Edinburgh, with over 20% of its residents being of German descent. There are 20% more females in Dunedin than there are males, and slightly over 92% of the city's population is white, non-Hispanic. Indeed, there is no strong Hispanic presence (only 3.3%), nor is there a strong African-American population (only 2.0%). There are a good number of well-kept and well-groomed mobile home parks, with a good number of those residents not arriving in town until mid- and late-November.

Downtown Dunedin is very quaint and very pedestrian-friendly, with plenty of free on-street and off-street parking. Café Al Fresco is busy, but friendly, and serves up reasonably priced gourmet meals all day long on bare tables and with cloth napkins. The real undiscovered jewel of Dunedin is the Blue Moon Inn, and was the artist's home away from home for the duration of the project. Its nine rooms are comfortably and generously decorated; its 12- and 14-foot ceilings soar the entire length of its well-oversized sleeping quarters; and the Whalen family, who has owned the surrounding property for several decades, goes so far as to even supply every room with an umbrella in the event of rain. I could go on and on about the Blue Moon (including each room's kitchenette; its table settings for four with real plates and real silverware; and a small fridge with a real ice maker), but then it would sound like a blatant promotional piece.

Art is an important part of Dunedin's culture. The Dunedin Fine Art Center is home to an active and ever-changing exhibition schedule, an art school with year-round classes, and a full-time children's interactive art program that is completely reconfigured on an annual basis. Art Harvest, the city's annual art festival each November, is a regional favorite and attracts artists from all parts of the country. The area also plays host to a substantial number of talented and well-established artists who reside there year-round.

Over the course of summer and early fall, 2007, about 17 days were spent "shooting" The Dunedin Project , and over 6000 digital exposures were made. Forty eight homes and two small businesses were photographed and a total of 61 exhibition-quality images were submitted by the artist. Of those 61, 40 were selected for the project exhibition.

In January of 2008, the Dunedin Fine Art Center joined the community in celebrating the culmination of these efforts with an opening reception for The Dunedin Project exhibition. The highlight of the evening was the recognition and presentation of gift photos to each and every participating family and/or individual in the project, courtesy of the artist and the fine folks at the Dunedin Fine Art Center.

For information about The Dunedin Project, or to show the project in your museum, facility, or venue, please contact Catherine Bergmann of the Dunedin Fine Art Center at 727 298-3322, or email her at cbergmann@dfac.org.  For image sales and information, please contact the artist directly at 407 856-5434, or by email at lslesnick@msn.com.