Banker’s photo exhibit to help TotalChild

By Dave DeWitte

CEDAR RAPIDS—Guaranty Bank CEO Chris Lindell’s photography is filled with images from an “eclectic” life, and he’s hoping they improve other lives when they go on sale next month to benefit Four Oaks’ TotalChild program.

Favorite photographs from Mr. Lindell’s collection will be on exhibit through the month of July at the 2711 Bever Ave. SE branch of Guaranty Bank. The exhibit will be part of an ongoing series of artist exhibits at the branch, except that all of the work and a coffee table book of Mr. Lindell’s favorite photographs will be on sale to benefit Total Child.

Mr. Lindell described his life as “eclectic.” He spent most of his career as a utility executive with divisions of Alliant Energy, living part of his Alliant career in Iowa and part on the Pacific Coast of New Zealand. He’s more recently worked as a senior leader of Guaranty Bank, the Cedar Rapids-based community bank, most recently as CEO.

Photographs taken by Mr. Lindell decorate his office in the Guaranty Bank building at 302 Third Ave. SE, prompting many words of admiration and occasionally even offers to purchase prints.

Photography has been an enriching part of Mr. Lindell’s life for decades, but he had never considered selling them until the opportunity arose to help TotalChild. Mr. Lindell began researching the program because he was asked to help with fundraising. He quickly discovered that it was something worth supporting, but didn’t feel he could ask others to contribute unless he was contributing himself.

“It’s having a visual, measurable impact on people’s lives,” Mr. Lindell said of the program, which is aiming at improving educational and career achievement by strengthening all of the foundational elements a child needs to be healthy and successful.

The exhibit gave Mr. Lindell the opportunity to explore museum-style printing and mounting of photographs in larger formats. Some of his work can be viewed on www.favorites-4-totalchild.org.

For Mr. Lindell, photography is a versatile and expressive artform that speaks to our desire to communicate beauty.

“It’s a way of being able to convey beauty to others and being able to express different forms of life,” said Mr. Lindell. He especially enjoys capturing motion and using silhouettes in his images.

Discussing his “favorites,” Mr. Lindell singled out one photograph of a long silver and white cloud blazing across the New Zealand sky.

Aoetearoa, or “land of the long white cloud,” is the name New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people used for the country. In a country famous for beautiful landscapes, the long, white cloud is a common part of many of them.

“It’s probably a pretty good name for the country,” Mr. Lindell said.