After seeing the devastation caused by an earthquake in China’s Szechuan Province in May 2008, M. Chen ’11 knew she wanted to bring awareness to the damage but was not sure how. With the help of her photography teacher Mary Ann McQuillan and her peers, an online photo fundraiser has been launched, with 100% of the proceeds going to earthquake relief.

“I wanted a way for people to pay attention to the issues and support relief efforts,” said Chen who is from Guangzhou, which is 75 miles from the most heavily devastated area. “I came up with the idea to sell the pictures I took from the earthquake, but was worried people may not want to hang upsetting images in their home. Ms. McQuillan mentioned my concerns to her other photo classes, and many students said they would be happy to donate their pictures to the fundraiser as well.”

After the tragic earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Chen decided that the proceeds from photo sales will equally go to earthquake relief efforts in China and Haiti. More than 100 photographs have been donated to the exhibit, which features pictures taken all over the world.

In total, 30 Dana Hall Photography students have made their prints available for sale. A sample of the photos for sale, as well as Chen’s photos of Szechuan Province, are hanging in the stairwell exhibit space in the Upper School. All of the photos will be printed as high quality archival inkjet prints.

“Planning this fundraiser has been a collaborative effort,” noted Visual Arts teacher Mary Ann McQuillan. “The photos are a way to give something back to donors. They represent a personal touch to raising money for a good cause, and will hopefully heighten awareness about ongoing recovery efforts to rebuild lives and communities.”

The photo gallery can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48762920@N05/. Photos should not be ordered through the Flickr Web site. If you are interested in purchasing photographs, please e-mail Mary Ann McQuillan directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . In your e-mail, note the photo number(s) you would like to order (Earthquake_Relief_Benefit_Photo_2010001, 002, etc.), which can be found by clicking on the photo(s) you are interested in, as well as how many prints and the size you would like. 8.5x11 prints are $20 and 13x19 prints are $35. Prints can be paid for by cash or check. Checks must be made out to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). If parents of Dana Hall students would like to send their payment in with their daughter, McQuillan will give the photos to the student to bring home. Please contact Mary Ann McQuillan by e-mail for more information and with any questions.