School of Media gallery to feature images from recent tornadoes

\ Leave a Comment \ by

A Community United: Through Trauma and Grief, Resilience Emerges

Desiray Cartledge, 3, stands in the rubble of what remains of her house in Dawson Springs just one day after a violent, long-tracked EF-4 tornado moved across Western Kentucky causing catastrophic damage in numerous towns including Mayfield, Princeton, and Bremen. A second long-tracked EF-3 tornado came early the next morning in Bowling Green. BY AUSTIN ANTHONY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

 

The power and necessity of community journalism never became more evident than the days and weeks following the December 10 and 11 Kentucky tornadoes. As the residents of this Commonwealth tried to emotionally comprehend and realize the trauma that we collectively endured, we were afforded the opportunity to turn to stories of miraculous survival as well as those of heart-wrenching agony. This collection of images taken by photojournalists, many who experienced the storm firsthand, are what becomes the early draft of history as Kentuckians and the nation remember, over time, what happened the night the skies opened and reigned catastrophe over our communities.

There will be a reception in JRH atrium with some of the photojournalists featured in the exhibition on Thursday, March 31 at 5:30  p.m. followed at 6:30 in the JRH Auditorium by a Gaines Lecture Series roundtable “When Disaster Strikes” moderated by WKYU All Things Considered host Alana Watson with Trent Okerson, chief meteorologist, WPSD Paducah; Grace Ramey, photojournalist, Bowling Green Daily News; and Rick Rojas, national correspondent, New York Times. Light refreshments will be served and is free.

WHAT?

An exhibition of 58 images from WKU students, faculty, alumni and local and regional media will be on display March 28 – April 22.

WHEN?

Gallery hours:

Sunday  |  3:00 – 9:00 p.m.

M-W  |  9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Th-F  |  9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Reception and Lecture:

Thursday, March 31 at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

WHERE?

Jody Richards Hall atrium and gallery on the campus of WKU, Bowling Green, Ky.

Free parking at the Chestnut Street South parking lot after 4:30 p.m. in non-designated zones and in the Mimosa Lot all day Sunday.

DETAILS

This exhibition is sponsored by The School of Media and the Gaines family as part of the Gaines Lecture Series.

Please note that the content of this exhibition may be difficult for some people to view. A picture can trigger a buried memory and recall a precise moment in time. Viewer discretion may be considered.

Contact Tim Broekema at 270-745-3005 or by email at tim.broekema@wku.edu for further information.

 

Posted in: Gallery

Women Photojournalists of Washington Reception and Lecture

\ Leave a Comment \ by

You are invited Tuesday, February 15th for the opening reception and a SONY sponsored lecture with Stefani Reynolds at 5:00 PM JRH Gallery and auditorium. Reynolds is a photojournalist and documentary photographer based in Washington D.C. A graduate of Pratt Institute, her work seeks to address prominent issues within the American landscape, including poverty, homelessness, and gentrification.

The lecture will mark the opening of the Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW) 15th Annual Juried Exhibition, which features standout photography and multimedia pieces by members of WPOW from the past year. Photography and videos related to the year’s events from 24 member photographers and videographers, including Pro and Student Best in Show winners Sarah Silbiger and Yijo Shen, are included. We hope to see you there!

WHO?

Women Photojournalists of Washington exhibition opening with featured guest, Stefani Reynolds

WHEN?

Tuesday, Feb 15

5:00 – gallery doors open

5:30 – exhibition remarks

6:00 – lecture/presentation in JRH auditorium

WHERE?

Jody Richards Hall on the campus of WKU

 

Free and open to all, light refreshments will be served courtesy of the School of Media. Contact Tim Broekema (tim.broekema@wku.edu) if you have any questions

 

Witnessing the Destruction

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Western Kentucky University photojournalism major, Gunnar Word, woke up early the morning after the devastating tornado outbreak that had ripped through the western portion of the state leveling communities and killing 77 people December 10 and 11, 2021. Word, a junior, began documenting the destruction near the university campus. What started as a one day exploration of his community turned into a week long assignment documenting the aftermath of the storms for Agence France-Presse (AFP) who distributed the images via Getty Images.  Throughout the week, Word’s images ended up being published on NBC, ABC, CBS, Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. Here are a few of the images from a week that will forever change our community of Bowling Green.

Neighbors walk down what remains of 13th Avenue in Bowling Green, Kentucky after a tornado touched down around 1:30am on December 11th, 2021. According to Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky the EF-3 tornado killed at least 70 people along its 200 mile path

Bowling Green, Kentucky resident Latonya Webb is overcome with emotion as she explains surviving the tornado that hit Bowling Green, Kentucky on December 11, 2021. 

 

Two children sit stunned after being awoken in the middle of the night by the tornado that touched down in Bowling Green, Kentucky around 3am on the morning of December the 11, 2021. According to Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky the EF-3 tornado killed at least 70 people along its 200 mile path.

Muhammad Raad helps his friends mother sort through what is left of her belongings after extreme weather hit the area, in Bowling Green, Kentucky on December 13, 2021.

A resident of “The Cardinal Inn” in Bowling Green Kentucky surveys the damages done after a tornado touched down around 1:30am on December 11th, 2021. According to Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky the EF-3 tornado killed at least 70 people along its 200 mile path.

Kitty Williams Holds up a sign that survived the storm as her friends and family help gather her belongings of what is left of his house after extreme weather hit the area, in Bowling Green, Kentucky on December 13, 2021. – Kentucky officials voiced relief Monday that dozens of workers at a candle factory appear to have survived tornadoes that killed at least 88 people and left a trail of devastation across six US states.

Posted in: Picture Stories, Student Work

Spring Semester 2022 Majors/Minor Meeting

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Our PJ majors and minors meeting for the semester is Tuesday, January 25, at 5:30 p.m., in JRH Room 127.

Come join us! This is a critical meeting for you to find out what the program has to offer and what opportunities/activities are coming up this semester, as well as to meet the faculty and students in our fine program.

Everyone is invited, freshman to seniors and everyone in between! Don’t miss it!! Get involved!!!

Reimagining Tradition: The return of Mountain Workshops

\ Leave a Comment \ by

 

Begin your school year by planning a visit to an exhibition of unique and thought provoking photographs and video short stories that allow you to experience lives other than your own.

For the first time in its 45 year history, Mountain Workshops was conducted both in person and virtually, allowing for WKU Photojournalism students to participate with visual journalists from across the nation. During one week in October of 2021, these visual journalists documented people from Bowling Green, Oakland, Cal., Louisville, Ky., Washington, D.C., and South Burlington, Vt. Together the photographs and video short stories display a diverse range of people and the hardships and triumphs that they face.

The exhibition, located on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Jody Richards Hall, is open Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. except for when the school is closed.

This exhibition is sponsored by The School of Media’s Photojournalism program and is free and open to the public.

Mountain Workshops returns to campus

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Mountain Workshops returned to WKU campus this year as we offered the options of a Remote workshop or a Live experience for our WKU students. Seniors Brenna Pepke and Gabi Broekema  were able to focus on story for the week with guidance from video coaches Leslye Davis and  Carey Wagner.

Brenna Pepke’s Caught in the balance

Since her partner’s diagnosis, Andee Rudloff has worked to regain balance in her life. As relationships change, so does Andee’s perspective on how to respond to her life’s new structure.

 

Gabi Broekema’s Underdogs

Brian ‘Slim’ Nash and his daughter, Presley, have a bond stronger than Presley’s condition of alpha-mannosidosis. Presley’s strength against the incurable disorder amazes and inspires her father daily.

 

Posted in: Through Our Eyes

Sam Mallon – Finding stories that feed your passion

\ Leave a Comment \ by

During Sam Mallon’s past four years at Western Kentucky University the photojournalism major has alway made a point to give a voice to subjects she is passionate about. This past summer her love for nature led her to intern at Acadia National Park where her Instagram feed began to fill with fungi, bees and crashing waves. Here are a collection of images from her past year at WKU where she continues to showcase people and their approach to life. For more of her work visit: https://samamallon.com

“I really liked that [Everly] is able to spend a lot of her days, as she’s learning, outdoors,” said Patrick. Homeschooling Everly, Patrick’s five-year-old daughter, is of utmost importance to her. “I like that she can have access to certain educational materials that aren’t necessarily promoting a history of colonization or that don’t have respect for other species,” said Patrick, “Doing any sort of homeschooling, you can choose [educational materials] that support your values and morals.” Following their Thanksgiving meal, Patrick took her children on a hike with a tray of food from their feast and their garden as an offering to the spirits that protect the land they occupy. Giving thanks, respecting and celebrating the history of land they live on is central to Patrick’s teaching practices for her daughter.

Chiara Jeanfils, a Friends of Acadia Summit Steward, illuminates the night sky with sparklers as her friends look on while dancing on the rocks beside the pier on the campus of the College of the Atlantic prior to the fireworks show on Monday, July 5, 2021.
“Derik Overstreet, 24, trains as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter at least once a day and up to three times a day. Overstreet, a local activist in Bowling Green, uses boxing as a release for the frustration and anger that comes as a consequence in doing social justice work. Derik Overstreet, 24, uses his platform as a MMA fighter to promote his non-profit, Bowling Green for Peace, and to cope, “If [activism] was all I did, If I didn’t have some kind of physical outlet, I would have lost it,” Overstreet said.”
Vinny Almeida kisses Sarah Macleod, both of Boston, MA, while Almeida plays ukulele as they walk back along the sand bar from Bar Island Path on Thursday, July 22, 2021 in Acadia National Park.

 

 

Posted in: Student Work, Through Our Eyes

Zane Meyer-Thornton

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Zane Meyer-Thornton, a senior photojournalism major from Los Angeles, California has recently seen success following his summer internship at the Cincinnati Enquirer. His image of a protester won a 1st place finish in the College Photographer of the Year competition for General News. Previously Zane has worked as a Creative in Residence at Boyd’s Station during the summer in 2020 and has worked at WKU Student Publications since coming to Western. This past year he was named to the Native American Journalists Fellowship program, which produces content on Indigenous People and communities. Here are a few of his images from his work this past year. To see more of his work visit: https://www.zanemtphoto.com

A supporter of former President Donald Trump takes a break from protesting the arrival of President Joe Biden on the corner of Delhi Road and Neeb Road outside of Mount Saint Joseph University, where President Biden is set to speak at a town hall on Thursday, July 21, 2021.

Brian Bayley, of Walnut hills, crashes into hay bales as he finishes his race on Saturday, July 31, 2021 at Dangerwheel, in the Pendleton area of Over-the-Rhine. Dangerwheel is an adult big-wheel race where proceeds are used to raise money for beautification efforts in the community.
Being able to help construct the foundation for children is something Guerra keeps close to her heart. She hopes her love and care can assist them on their journey, no matter where their destination may be. “Having a support system for a child is huge. I feel like that’s why I have been able to do the things that I have been able to do. I’ve always had somebody to look up to, somebody that I know has my back,” said Guerra.
Ellie Banaszynski, 5, has a snack between games of Killerqueen on Sunday, June 20, 2021 at Wondercade Cincy. By having only classic arcade games, Wondercade Cincy is helping a new generation of people enjoy games from years past.
Posted in: Contest Winners, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

March to March: A Year of Unrest, Uncertainty and Unknowns

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Gallery exhibition features 68 images and three short-form documentary films from 19 different WKUPJ alumni photojournalists who were assigned to capture our unprecedented times.

 

The third month of the year 2020 brought great change to how our nation and our world would go about living daily life. A pandemic not seen on such a scale since 1918 touched every community, shutting down businesses, entertainment, travel and choking our economy and health care system. And like many issues in this divided country, it became political. Protests erupted over mask mandates, political ideology and racism. A nation under siege became exhausted.

 

Spring turned to summer, and summer to fall, then fall to winter. Soon it was March again. A new year for hope, but still communities struggled to understand and cope with the ripple effects of COVID-19.

 

On the front lines of all the news was a group of dedicated photojournalists, often risking their own health to tell the important stories.

 

March to March, A Year of Unrest, Uncertainty and Unknowns, looks at the work of nineteen WKU photojournalism alumni and how their presence allows us to bear witness to history unraveling before our very eyes. Five decades of experience, generations of graduates come together to tell the complete story of an extraordinary year.

 

The exhibit is free and open to the public in the Jody Richards Hall Gallery and Atrium through November 11. Hours of the gallery are Monday through Wednesday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm and Thursday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.