Ami Vitale, Dal Lake, Srinigar, Kashmir, color photograph, 2002, 30 x 40 inches.
Indian Border Security Force soldiers patrol the picturesque Dal Lake in Srinigar, the summercapital of the Indian held state of Kashmir. Once a tourist hotspot, the only visitors to this magnificent landscape these days are Indian soldiers.

Picturing the World is the first major exhibition to present the work of internationally-recognized photojournalists who have studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills School of Journalism and Mass Communication, considered one of the most outstanding and innovative programs in the United States. Six award-winning photographers  Andrea Bruce, Jamie Francis, Janet Jarman, Charles "Stretch" Ledford, Susie Post Rust and Ami Vitale − will be featured in depth along with single images by another group of twenty-five distinguished alumni. The exhibition, showcasing 90 color and black and white photographs, will also highlight interactive, web-based projects developed by current students in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication, a world-wide leader in multimedia education and production.

When viewed together, these works expand our appreciation of the power of images to address some of the most pressing social issues of our time. A strong humanitarian ethic is visible in the work of each photographer, engaging viewers in the human drama behind the image. Even as society becomes saturated with media imagery, individual photographs continue to capture decisive moments. Embedded in our memories are single photographs: iconic images of great tragedy and great joy. We rely on these pictures to create context, add meaning, and enrich our appreciation of the world in which we live.

For additional information contact:
Christine Huber
Assistant Curator of Exhibitions
cjhuber@email.unc.edu
919-843-3687

Highlights of Picturing the World
Ami Vitale's work provides a glimpse into the social life of men and women in Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan. The military tension in the region provides an unsettling drama beneath the breathtaking beauty of the Himalayas. Vitale (class of 1993) has received many major awards for her work, including recognition as Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association.

Jamie Francis (class of 1985) shares his work from the small African-American community of Deuces in St. Petersburg, Florida. With great warmth and humanity, he brings viewers up close to the personalities of the street in a once-prosperous area now blighted by decades of shifting populations to the suburbs.

For her series of photographs, "Crossing: Tale of the Rich North," Janet Jarman (class of 1989) followed the life of a single family for more than a decade, from when she met them picking through garbage in a Mexican dump, as migrant workers in Florida, and their lives in Texas. Issues of globalization and its impact on people in developing countries inform her work.

Andrea Bruce's coverage of the war in Iraq was part of her 2006 White House Photographer of the Year portfolio. She is a three-time winner of this prestigious award. Working for the Washington Post, Bruce (class of 1995) captures the human side of life as well as the violent upheaval of war that has transformed the physical and cultural landscape of Iraq.

Susan Post Rust's breathtaking photographs from her numerous National Geographic assignments reveal her special talent for capturing the color and contours of landscape and people. The photographer (class of 1984) documents rural cultures in lands as diverse as Pennsylvania, Ireland, and Uganda.

Charles Ledford (class of 1986) has spent more than two decades documenting the human condition throughout the world, much of it for The Commission, the highly respected documentary magazine that was published by the Baptist Foreign Mission Board. Included in the exhibition are his photographs from Kenya, Mongolia, and Arkansas.

The single photographs from twenty-five photojournalists were selected to represent a diversity of peoples, events, and geography. From images close to home - the devastation of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 - to those in far-flung corners of the globe - Russian children healing from radiation exposure to Chernobyl's nuclear reactor - these works were also chosen for their compelling visual interpretation of defining moments in world history and intimate portraits of life.