The photos range from a black-and-white close-up of an eighteenth-century waterwheel, to an art-deco advertisement from the 1950s; they span the state from Memphis to the Smokies; and they evoke eras from King Cotton to the slave trade.
“They” are the 22 top-place finishers in “Viewing History,” the 2007 photo contest sponsored by Scenic Tennessee and the Tennessee Preservation Trust. The Heritage Center, 225 W. College St., Murfreesboro, will display the photos through Sept 1.
“The images really do capture a broad swath of Tennessee history, and the talent is a nice cross-section of amateur and professional, student and adult,” said Melissa Zimmerman, Heritage Programming Specialist.
The Heritage Center is a joint project of Main Street Murfreesboro, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, the city of Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, and MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation. For more information on the Heritage Center visit, histpres.mtsu.edu/tncivwar.
The 22 winning images were chosen from a field of more than 130 submissions. Judges were Susan Whitaker, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development; Patrick McIntyre, executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission; and Joy McKenzie, chair of the photography department at Watkins College of Art & Design in Nashville, which helped mount the traveling exhibit.
“Scenic Tennessee is a statewide organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of the scenic character of Tennessee,” said Leslee Dodd Karl, president. Current projects include a comprehensive litter/recycling program, “Pride of Place,” whose main focus is the Tennessee bottle bill (tnbottlebill.org).
The showing at the Heritage Center is free and open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call the Heritage Center at (615) 217-8013. Or to view the photos online, visit scenictennessee.org.
