Press Release
Fernbank Museum Unveils New Photo Exhibition,
Apalachicola River: An American Treasure,
Revealing the Ecological Treasures and Diversity of Life along the River
ATLANTA—In a striking new exhibition at Fernbank Museum of Natural History, black-and-white photographs capture the beauty of the Apalachicola River, from its headwaters in north Georgia through rural northwest Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. Apalachicola River: An American Treasure, which features 27 photographs and a film documentary, will be on view October 15, 2007 through January 4, 2008.
Using a large-format camera to spotlight the pristine beauty of the river ecosystem and photojournalistic portraits to highlight the people who make their home along the water’s edge, photographers Clyde Butcher and Richard Bickel documented the incredible story of the river, including the way of life that has existed for centuries.
River-community locals, Butcher and Bickel collectively and independently captured the people, the landscape and the ecological treasures and diversity of life along the river as it winds through Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The collaborative project documents, educates and entertains audiences with the importance of one of the nation’s few remaining pristine bodies of water.
Butcher, a well-known landscape photographer, has often been described as the “Ansel Adams of Florida” for his striking and bold, black-and-white images profiling the Everglades and southern Florida. He has long been famous for his stunning large-format landscape photographs of Florida. He began photographing the beauty of the river before Hurricane Dennis in 2005. The stark contrast of “before” and “after” images provide a unique understanding about the impact of hurricanes on the natural landscape.
"I am humbled by the experience I have had traveling the Apalachicola River. Everything from the beauty of the wilderness to the expressions from the people who work and live along the river has been a unique experience and one I will treasure for the rest of my life,” Butcher said. “My hope is that by sharing the beauty of the Apalachicola River…[audiences] will find reason to act on the behalf of the river so that future generations may also see this wonderful pristine place."
Bickel, a photojournalist who has contributed to The New York Times, National Geographic Books, The Los Angeles Times, Coastal Living and Travel and Leisure magazine, came to Apalachicola on assignment and made the Florida town his home. He recently published The Last Great Bay, a book of photographs about Apalachicola Bay.
Apalachicola River: An American Treasure combines Butcher’s photographs of the landscape along the river with Bickel’s documentation of the people in the region. An added bonus to the exhibition is provided by Elam Stoltzfus, a cinematographer who created a special film for the project. Stoltzfus specializes in nature film documentaries and has produced several award-winning films. A video showcasing his film about the Apalachicola River, or the “big river” as locals call it, will be shown alongside the photography exhibition. The film also features the musical talents of Sammy Tedder, who created handmade drums from hollow cypress and black gum logs, and crafted flutes from the native river cane for recording the film’s original score.
“Composing the music for Apalachicola River: An American Treasure has given me the opportunity to experience this vast river basin area in a way that I never have before,” Tedder said. “I have explored the most remote waterways of the Apalachicola; recorded the sounds of the birds, the frogs, the water and the insects; met the people that rely on the river for making a living … all this has given me great insight into how important it is to preserve this wild and natural place.”
Apalachicola: An American Treasure is included with Museum admission. Tickets are $13 for adults, $12 for students/seniors, $11 for children ages 3-12, and free for members and children 2 years old and under. The exhibition will be on view October 15, 2007 through January 4, 2008.
Also on view through January 4 is Nature’s Jewels: Butterflies and Other Insects, a separate photography exhibition that reveals the beauty of insects and their natural world.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road NE, just east of Midtown Atlanta. For information call 404.929.6300 or visit www.fernbankmuseum.org. To reserve tickets, call 404.929.6400.
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