The Changing Story

A reflection on how photojournalism has evolved with technology and society, displaying images that capture transformation in both storytelling and the world it seeks to document.

The gallery will remain on view March 27 through May 8 during JRH building hours:

• Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Parking available on Chestnut St. South lot after 4:30 

Join us as we conclude the 50th year celebration of the storied Mountain Workshops with our fourth gallery installation of the academic year at Jody Richards Hall Atrium and Gallery.

We are continually reminded of the importance of documentary projects through the steady passage of time and its often devastating impact on communities. In 2008, the Mountain Workshops team documented life in Mayfield, a town later profoundly damaged by the December 2021 tornado. More recently, in 2024, we documented Williamsburg, which this past week experienced the tragic destruction of a large portion of its downtown due to fire.

These moments underscore why preserving visual records of people and place matters. Documentary storytelling creates a lasting historical record that honors the past while informing the future.

A Visual History of Kentucky

This exhibition invite audiences to explore Kentucky through a visual retrospective built from four documentary projects spanning communities, generations, and lived experiences.

Designed for a broad public audience — including photography enthusiasts, camera club members, and those interested in regional history — the event offers a rare opportunity to see how visual storytellers interpret changes over time.

Also featured that evening:

The Act of Looking: Four Kentucky Documentary Projects in Dialogue
A round table discussion with members of the Mountain Workshops, Picture This, Document Kentucky, and Boyd’s Station. The conversation will be moderated by Tom Eblen, former Managing Editor and columnist of the Lexington Herald-Leader and currently involved with the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, in partnership with the Kentucky Arts Council.

We hope you will save the date and join us for an evening celebrating the power of documentary photography and storytelling.

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The School of Media & Communication launched a year-long, four-part gallery exhibition celebrating 50 years of the WKU Visual Journalism & Photography program and its rich legacy of documenting Kentucky through the Mountain Workshops. 

“Through the Lens of Time: 50 Decades of the Mountain Workshops” 

 For half a century, the Mountain Workshops, a flagship program of Western Kentucky University’s Visual Journalism & Photography program, has documented the heart and soul of communities across Kentucky and beyond.  

This four-part exhibition series, sponsored by Canon USA, celebrates this powerful visual storytelling body of work that has defined the Workshops’ legacy. Featuring work from generations of photographers, from students to eventual Pulitzer Prize winners, the exhibition honors the Mountain Workshops as both an educational institution and a documentary archive of life in America. These photographs bring history to life, inviting audiences to experience five decades of storytelling excellence. 

Divided into four thematic concepts this upcoming academic year, the exhibition explores the evolution of documentary photography through the Workshop’s lens: 

AUGUST 26 – OCTOBER 3 (CLOSED)

FACES OF THE MOUNTAIN – A powerful collection of intimate portraits that reveal the resilience, joy, and struggles of everyday people whose lives have been illuminated by the photographers’ lens. 

OCTOBER 13 – DECEMBER 11 (CLOSED)

PORTRAITS OF A PLACE – A testament to the people, landscapes, towns, and backroads that have shaped the identity of the Workshop’s host communities. 

JANUARY 28 – MARCH 6 (CLOSED)

WORK & TRADITION – A look at the trades, customs, and industries—both fading and thriving—that have been documented over decades, preserving the cultural heritage of the region.  

MARCH 27 – MAY 8, 2026 

THE CHANGING STORY – A reflection on how photojournalism has evolved with technology and society, displaying images that capture transformation in both storytelling and the world it seeks to document. 

  

For more information, please contact the coordinator of these events at tim.broekema@wku.edu.