Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there. When the kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned came along, Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. Then he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.” “I will redeem it,” he said.
-Ruth 4:1-4
Amid the Corinthian columns and King James bibles that are amassed within the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, you will discover Ken Berg’s photographic collection, “I Am Ruth”. This compilation of photos tells the story of love, loss, and redemption that encompasses Naomi, Ruth and Boaz from the Book of Ruth. Ken has done a superb job of weaving together the artistic with the historic in the telling of this beautiful love story. As the producer/director of Zola Levitt Presents for over 30 years, Ken had the unique opportunity to be in the Holy Land where he captured on film the life and times of Naomi and her family as they fled famine in Bethlehem and arrived in Moab. Then, after tragic losses, Naomi journeys back to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law, Ruth, where ultimately a redeemer is found.
In the gift shop you will find the book, “I Am Ruth”, by Ken Berg and Brenda Duff, which contains many of the photos that are part of the collection. In addition, there are signed original prints from Ken Berg.