The Albury Regional Museum and Albury Regional Art Gallery will join Charles Sturt University in a celebration of the changing faces of Albury-Wodonga that presents unique images, past and present, of the twin cities.

Titled The McPherson Project - the faces and the streets, Albury-Wodonga 1955-2000, the project combines images from the McPherson Collection held in the Albury Regional Museum, with the talents of final year photography students from CSU's Albury-Wodonga Campus.

Between 1955 and 1978, several photographers who owned the McPherson Photographic Studio in central Albury took around 2 000 photos of the city's people and streets.

After the studio closed, the collection was presented to the Museum. Project coordinator and CSU photography lecturer Karen Donnelly has selected over 50 images from this era to provide inspiration for the students, who will return to the people and sites depicted and produce images that reflect the current state of the Border.

"On the cusp of a new century, the project is an opportunity to take stock of the past, analyse and understand it and contrast it with contemporary life," Ms Donnelly said.

"The two sets of images will be published in a book by the collaborating organisations, so providing a unique pictorial history of Albury-Wodonga over the past 50 years."

The collaborating organisations are currently approaching potential sponsors for the book, including multinational corporations, small businesses and interested individuals.

"As the photos from the present will be taken by the first students to graduate from CSU's photography degree, the book will be, in a way, their parting gift to the people of Albury-Wodonga," said Ms Donnelly.

It is anticipated the book will be launched in April next year at the Albury Regional Art gallery, as part of the Albury-Wodonga Campus graduation celebrations in 2000.

Firms and individuals interested in becoming a sponsor for The McPherson Project can contact Ms Donnelly on telephone (02) 6051 6836.