The Changing Story

WKU Lecture and Exhibition Explore 50 Years of Documentary Photography in Kentucky

The Western Kentucky University School of Media & Communication and the John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series will host a special evening of photography, conversation, and community reflection on Friday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the Jody Richards Hall Auditorium. The event will feature a public lecture followed by an opening reception for a year-long photographic exhibition celebrating Kentucky’s communities and visual storytelling tradition.

Sponsored by Canon USA, the exhibition draws from more than 50 years of documentary work produced through WKU’s Visual Journalism & Photography program and its Mountain Workshops, presenting a powerful visual record of life across the Commonwealth.

Lecture: The Changing Story

The evening begins with a roundtable discussion titled “The Changing Story: Four Photography Projects That Document Kentucky’s Past and Present.” The program brings together leaders and contributors from four major documentary photography initiatives rooted in Kentucky.

The panel will explore how documentary photography has evolved alongside technology, journalism, and society while continuing to preserve stories of communities across the state.

Projects featured in the conversation include:

• Mountain Workshops — Directed by James Kenney, coordinator of WKU’s Visual Journalism & Photography program, the Mountain Workshops bring students and professional storytellers together each year to collaborate with Kentucky communities and produce in-depth visual, written, and multimedia narratives.
• The Kentucky Documentary Photographic Project — Represented by WKU graduate Brittany Greeson, this statewide initiative sent photographers into all 120 Kentucky counties to create a contemporary visual record of life across the Commonwealth.
• Project 306.36 at Boyd’s Station — Founded by Kentucky native Jack Gruber, the project documents rural American life in Harrison County through immersive storytelling and extended residencies for emerging photojournalists.
• Picture Kentucky Workshop — Led by WKU graduate David Stephenson and founded in 2004, this workshop mentors students from the University of Kentucky’s School of Journalism and Media and the Kentucky Kernel as they document communities throughout the state.

The discussion will be moderated by WKU alumnus Tom Eblen, a 2016 Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame inductee who spent four decades in daily journalism with The Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Lexington Herald-Leader, where he served as managing editor and metro/state columnist.

Gallery Reception and Exhibition

A wine and cheese reception will follow the lecture at 8:00 p.m. in the Jody Richards Hall Atrium | Gallery, celebrating the opening of the photographic exhibition:

“The Changing Story”
A reflection on how photojournalism has evolved with technology and society.

The exhibition features images that capture decades of transformation in both storytelling and the communities documented across Kentucky.

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

• Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

A Visual History of Kentucky

Together, the lecture and 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 change over time. By bringing these projects into conversation, “The Changing Story” encourages viewers to reflect on how images shape memory, deepen understanding, and connect communities across Kentucky.

Contact Information

For more information about the lecture series or to connect with one of the speakers, contact:
Jonathan Adams
jonathan.adams@wku.edu
307-733-6089

For information about the exhibition, contact:
Tim Broekema
tim.broekema@wku.edu

About the John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series

Launched in 2004, the John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series has brought award-winning international journalists to WKU. Previous speakers include the **The Indianapolis Star Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative team that exposed the USA Gymnastics abuse scandal, the **The Cincinnati Enquirer Pulitzer Prize-winning team that documented the opioid addiction crisis, journalism leader John Seigenthaler, former NBC anchor John Seigenthaler Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts, and Pete Souza, former Chicago Tribune photojournalist and official White House photographer.