Capture for a Cause

When the annual Domestic Abuse Resistance Team (DART) Radiothon goes on the air Oct. 12, another picture-perfect fundraiser for DART will also get underway.

Celebrated fine arts photographer and Ruston native son Paul Burns will sell a framed copy of his photograph of the Dixie Center for the Arts, titled “Date Night,” in an online auction in partnership with Century Next Bank to raise money for DART.

The auction will go live on the day of the Radiothon and will run through early December.

Burns’ father, Terry Burns, died of cancer in 2022 just a few months after retiring as a vice president of Century Next Bank.

Based in Memphis, Paul Burns took the photo of the Dixie during a trip back home to Ruston this summer. But he didn’t immediately know the significance it would come to take on.

“When I took the photo, I didn’t realize my parents went on their first date at the Dixie,” he said. “With photography, telling a story along the way is important as you try to relate to your audience. So (Date Night’s) story hit very close to home for me.”

As a way to honor his late father, Burns knew he wanted to use Date Night to support a local nonprofit, because he said Terry Burns wanted to work for a nonprofit when he retired and didn’t have the chance.

With that goal in mind, DART was the clear choice for him.

“I’m very familiar with DART and what they stand for, the passion they have in the Ruston area,” Burns said. “It’s a safe haven for people who really need help with domestic violence. It’s important to put a spotlight and be able to raise money for a nonprofit like DART.”

“Date Night” will be auctioned off on Burns’ website — littlesotsphotography. com — and the photo will be displayed at Century Next Bank for locals to take a look and consider placing a bid.

On Oct. 12 the photo will head to Super 1 to be displayed as DART conducts the Radiothon.

DART Community Advocate Terrie Queen Autrey said the auction is a welcome addition to DART’s fundraising efforts, especially this year as the nonprofit lost some $80,000 in federal funding.

“This is an exciting opportunity for DART,” Autrey said.

While the auction is intended in part to honor his father, Burns said the focus should remain on DART and the work it does.

“I have two daughters,” he said. “It’s very important for them to understand what we’re doing as well. People can talk about these issues all day long, but volunteering your time and trying to raise money, to where my daughters can see something that is promoting a nonprofit like DART — my father would love that.”

Between capturing an iconic Ruston building in a beautiful light and putting it toward an important local cause, Burns said he hopes the photo and auction can drive home some big messages for his hometown.

“I want to make sure people understand that Ruston is a place to call home,” he said. “And it should always be that. Domestic violence is not acceptable, period.”