Work & Tradition
February 2 – March 13 CST
During these cold January days, warm your heart, mind and body by joining us as we continue the 50th year celebration of the storied Mountain Workshops with the opening of our third gallery installation of the academic year inside the heated Jody Richards Hall Atrium and Gallery.
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.
January 28 – March 6
Gallery hours
M – W 9 AM – 8 PM
TH – FR 9 AM – 4 PM
Closed when WKU is closed
Jody Richards Hall Atrium and Auditorium, WKU
Parking available on Chestnut St. South lot after 4:30
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
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 1, 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.