The newly named Lynn and Stewart Gammill Gallery at Barnard Observatory will have as its debut exhibition Yoknapatawpha 2000: The Changing Face of Lafayette County – Work by Southern Studies Documentary Photography Students.  Nine students, most of whom had no previous photographic experience, came together in the fall of 2000 in a Southern Studies graduate seminar offered by David Wharton. Wharton says “This exhibit displays the beginning efforts of students interested in documentary photography as a way of exploring the world around them. The course explored the theme of change in Lafayette County and stressed collaborative work. Both rural and urban scenes are included in the exhibition. Gallery visitors will be, I think, impressed with the intensity of the students’ interest and their understanding of what can be seen and communicated photographically. As much as anything, the learning process the students went through is what is showcased in this exhibit. We’re very proud of their effort and pleased that this will be the first exhibit mounted in the newly christened Gammill Gallery. With long commitment to the Center and its programs, I’m sure the Gammills will appreciate seeing the level of enthusiasm evident in the students’ photographs.”

   The nine students whose work will be exhibited are  Joseph Biagioli, Kris Cox, Brian Fisher, Evan Hatch, Sally Monroe, B. J. Petty, Patricia Reis, Kenneth Sallis, and Kay Walraven. With the exception of undergraduates Cox and Petty, all the students are either currently enrolled in, or have recently completed, the University’s master’s program in Southern Studies. Several photographs by the course instructor David Wharton are also part of the exhibition. Wharton is the director of documentary projects and assistant professor of Southern Studies at the Center.