The combined eye of photographers Claire Garoutte and Anneke Wimbaugh makes for more than just another safari into foreign culture in Crossing the Water: A Photographic Path to the Afro-Cuban Spirit World (Duke University Press, $24.95).Years in the making, these black-and-white and color images offer an intimate look into the eclectic mix of religions of Santiago Castañeda Vera, a priest-practitioner living in Cuba. The local shutterbugs, whose connection with Santiago was so powerful theyre his godchildren now, capture rituals, animal offerings, and even spirits possessing humans in gritty, often blurred scenes sure to captivate. And for those wanting more than a picture book, these photographers prove they can write, too, providing plenty of well-researched context and samples of song and prayer among their photos. Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave., 720-7222, www.pcnw.org. Free. Noon to 9:30 p.m. JOSHUA LYNCH
April 20-29, noon, 2008
