Jean Brenner

History has a way of repeating. At 90, Jean Brenner has seen that in action. She began documenting people – in humane, relational photographs – throughout the Muslim world in 2006, at a time she says Islamophobia was on the rise. Her exhibit, “The Face of Islam,” is deeply relevant today and on display again. The collection shows people, many staring straight into the viewer’s eyes, in Syria, Kenya, Egypt and beyond. Brenner spent a lifetime traveling, then undertook a journey focused on exploring Muslim communities after her husband died. She says she’s always been able to connect, across language and culture, and it shows in her photos. “Before asking permission to take a picture, I always try to establish contact with a smile,” she wrote in an artist statement. The smiles are returned. Viewable until Friday, Oct. 31 at Carmel Valley Manor, 8545 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel.