Joyner Library Exhibits Photographic Workings of Environmental Movements | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post, Kelly R. Dilda, is a contributor to ECU News Services.

    Joyner Library is hosting the exhibit "Cry Ecology: Gibson Lemon and the Beeline Highway" in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery on the second floor of the library. On display from Aug. 8 through Oct. 24, the exhibit showcases a collection of photography based on two bodies of work by Linda Adele Goodine, Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor for the School of Art and Design at East Carolina University.

    "Personally, I am drawn to her work because of its visual appeal as well as the deeper concepts that she explores in regards to how we manipulate land for our own ambitions and ideals," said Charlotte Fitz-Daniels, programs and events coordinator for Joyner Library.

    Goodine's work has appeared in more than 40 solo exhibitions with a substantial national and international exhibition presence. She is also the recipient of 27 grants and fellowships.

    "Cry Ecology is a conversation to be heard about the importance of our environment in which we live and why we should take better care of it," Goodine explained. "The color and the inclusion of animals and plants were very calculated and constructed to talk about hierarchies and how we treat various aspects of living things, whether they are produced as a commodity or whether they are wild."

    "One unlucky rabbit became the impetus for my first still life," she said of her Gibson Lemon series. "A click of the shutter, and an image emerged of a contemporary culture in transition, attempting to reconcile the cultivation of nature with the politics of production and eradication."

    In the New Zealand images, also part of the Gibson Lemon series, Goodine says she fashions a constructed still life in one frame, layering foreground, middle ground and background to create a relevant historical, social and cultural document.

    "In New Zealand, as in the United States, nature is continuously manipulated for display and consumption," she said. "My project explores the remaking of the contemporary material world through the metaphor of sustainable farming."

    In her Beeline Highway series, Goodine says she wants to investigate, present and create a dialogue about the loss of balance between technology, agriculture, commerce and conservation in the Everglades.

    "The themes explored in Beeline Highway continue my earlier interest in America's relationship to land and nature," she explains. "As nature continues to be manipulated for display and consumption in many parts of the United States, the Florida Everglades represents a landscape at odds with the politics and challenges of production. It is my hope that these images of nature's survival under the assault of modernity may inspire those who hope and work for its preservation."

    "We are excited to feature the work of Linda Adele Goodine, Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor at Joyner Library," said Heather White, assistant director for assessment and engagement. "Her exhibition of large, lush photographs is an impressive and exquisite display of work."

    Joyner Library will also hold a reception with artist remarks on Thursday, Sept. 7 from 5-7 p.m. in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery.

    Contact: Charlotte Fitz Daniels, Joyner Library programs and events coordinator, 252-328-0287, fitzdanielsc16@ecu.edu