'Travelers' exhibit dedicated to ex-Modestan

Among the famous gay figures like Robert Mapplethorpe and Ram Dass featured in the touring photography exhibit "Fellow Travelers: Liberation Portraits" is a native of Modesto.

James Broughton, who died in 1999 at age 85, was an avant-garde filmmaker and poet who was active in

San Francisco's art community. Among his many films was 1974's "Testament," which according to the

Los Angeles Times featured the artist "prancing into a graveyard in Modesto dressed in a Renaissance cloak, accompanied by a parade of Felliniesque characters."

The exhibit, by Los Angeles author and photographer Mark Thompson, has visited such cities as New York, Salt Lake City and Portland and is at Deva Cafe in Modesto through the end of the month. It is sponsored here by the Stanislaus PRIDE Center as part of the celebration of Gay Pride Month.

Thompson was a longtime writer, photographer and editor at The Advocate, a gay and lesbian news magazine, and has written six books, including the companion to the exhibit.

He got the idea for the photo display when he was in Big Sur about seven years ago. Thompson was getting tired of writing books and wasn't sure what project he should do next. All of the sudden, the light bulb came on and he thought about the thousands of photographs he had taken of famous people over the years. The idea for the "Fellow Travelers" show was born.

"It's a series of big faces, black-and-white faces," he said in a phone interview from his home. "I wrote little stories to go with each person, who they are, how I met them and how they impacted my life."

The show features 15 portraits taken between 1979 and the mid-1990s. Some were Thompson's close friends, others were people he just met.

He dedicated the show to Broughton. He met the artist at a film festival in Thompson's native Monterey and recalls that Broughton saw him across the crowded room and walked right up to him.

"He took my face in his hands and he looked right in my eyes," Thompson said. "He said, 'Don't worry, young man, everything will be all right.' Then he bent over and kissed me on the cheek, he winked and left."

Thompson said the older man's assurances came at the perfect time, as he was going through a tumultuous time dealing with his emerging sexuality and his parents' messy divorce.

Much later, Thompson and Broughton met again and became close friends. "He was my spiritual father," Thompson said. "I learned so much about life, being a good, conscious person."

Thompson included artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the show because he was so influential and a bit of a hero to the gay community. A critically acclaimed photographer who died of AIDS in 1989, he did explicit nudes that frequently had him labeled a pornographer. Thompson said his image of the artist may surprise some.

"It's a very soft image of Robert because that's how I found him," he said. "I didn't find him to be a bad-boy person at all, but a sweet, gentle and kind person."

Ram Dass came to Thompson's attention when he read his famous 1971 spiritual book, "Be Here Now," when he was 19.

Thompson took the portrait when he visited Dass for a day in San Rafael. They spent the whole day talking about serious, spiritual matters, then went into Dass' back patio by the oak trees.

"Suddenly, the sun broke through two openings in the trees and it was like little spotlights going right into his eyes," Thompson said. "I said, 'That's it,' and took the one picture."

The photo exhibit has been warmly received all over the country, Thompson said. "The show creates a kind of a sacred space with these totemic faces. Each person is just looking at you. There's a very direct encounter with every person."