Center for Great Plains Studies launches online photo gallery
The Center for Great Plains Studies at Emporia State University has added the Plains Photo Project to the Center’s website. The Plains Photo Project is an online gallery related to all aspects of the Great Plains. The gallery strives to be a repository of images that reflect the breadth of Great Plains life and culture, as well as the natural beauty of the plains.
Each month, a new group of photos will be featured, while the site will retain an archive of all previously published images.
The first set of pictures features the work of Larry Schwarm, a professor of art at ESU. Schwarm has gained national recognition for his photographs of prairie fires in the Flint Hills and the wheat fields of the High Plains. Throughout the month of December, the inaugural gallery pages will include some of these striking fire images, as well as photos of the devastating May 2007 tornado in Greensburg, Schwarm’s hometown.
“In addition to their esthetic excellence, Schwarm’s photographs also reveal the tension between human and natural forces on the plains,” said Jim Hoy, Center director. “The cultural adaptation of pasture burning mirrors the effects of lightning storms in keeping the tallgrass prairie healthy, while the awe-inspiring power of nature is abundantly evident in the devastation of Greensburg.”
Amateur and professional photographers, researchers, scholars, plains dwellers, and visitors are invited to submit photographs to the Center for inclusion in the online gallery. Images should be accompanied by a brief explanation including location, date, and photographer contact information. Submissions should be sent as jpeg or tiff files to sbrinkma@emporia.edu.
The Center will not be able to return original photos sent through the postal service. As this is a non-profit educational venture, no payment is available. However, all photographers will receive full credit on the website. The Plains Photo Project can be found at www.emporia.edu/cgps.
Last Updated February 1, 2008>