Kirk Fleta next to the ashen ruins of his home, destroyed in the deadly 2016 wildfires that swept through portions of the Great Smoky Mountains, in this photo captured by Jeremy Cowart for his “Voices of Gatlinburg” project
Baldwin Photographic Gallery will host a collection of photos capturing human resiliency in the wake of catastrophes by photographer, artist, entrepreneur and MTSU alumnus Jeremy Cowart through Jan. 31.
Cowart, an internationally recognized artist who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, is the 2019–20 MTSU Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
Cowart’s exhibit includes examples from five photo collections depicting survival, loss, reconciliation and resiliency in the aftermath of wildfires, earthquakes and hurricanes as well as the human-made tragedies of genocide and immigration.
Among those photos are images and stories from the deadly 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires gathered for the “Voices of Gatlinburg” awareness and fundraising project and a similar effort for the “Never Forgotten Coast” project, which chronicles the destruction and rejuvenation of Mexico Beach, Florida, in the wake of 2018’s Hurricane Michael.
Fleta rests on a white mattress next to the ruins of his home
The photographer says his mission is to “explore the intersection of creativity and empathy.”
Cowart, a 1999 graduate of MTSU’s Department of Art and Design in the College of Liberal Arts, has a client roster ranging from Pope Francis and former president Barack Obama to Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood and Tim Tebow. He’s currently at work on “The Purpose Hotel,” a planned global for-profit hotel chain that will fuel the work of not-for-profit organizations. His first hotel is scheduled to open in downtown Nashville in 2022.
In 2014, Huffington Post, Forbes and Yahoo named Cowart their “Most Influential Photographer on the Internet.” He’s a sought-after speaker and has presented multiple TEDx talks, showcased his “Voices of Haiti” photo essay at a United Nations gathering and addressed creative conferences across the country.
Jeremy Cowart
He’s also the founder of a global photography movement called Help-Portrait, a mobile social networking app called OKDOTHIS and an online teaching platform called See University. He connects all these efforts in his new book, I’m Possible: Jumping Into Fear and Discovering a Life of Purpose.
MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery, part of the university’s College of Media and Entertainment, is located on the second floor of the Bragg Building at the top of the main stairwell. The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays when MTSU classes are in session. Off-campus guests visiting the Baldwin Gallery should obtain a special one-day permit from MTSU’s Office of Parking and Transportation at mtsu.edu/parking.
For more information about MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery, visit baldwinphotogallery.com or contact jackie.heigle@mtsu.edu. To learn more about Cowart’s work, visit jeremycowart.com.
