Two graduates of program return to document its impact; segment coincides with new exhibit at Tennessee State Museum
Tennessee Crossroads will focus on Eyes on LaFallotte in an upcoming episode.
In the segment, premiering on NPT on Thursday, September 25 at 7 p.m. and ETPTV on Saturday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m., NPT videographer Matt Emigh and producer Will Pedigo follow a group of photojournalism students from the University of Tennessee as they make their annual trip to document life in LaFollette, Tennessee.
The Eyes on LaFollete project, now celebrating more than 20 years, is a collaboration between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the LaFollette Press. One weekend each year, advanced photojournalism students head into town and attempt to capture their best images in hopes that they will be selected for publication in a special edition of the paper. For many students, it’s their first real world assignment. This was the case for both Emigh and Pedigo, who were themselves participants in the 1999 edition of Eyes on LaFollette as students of UT Professor Rob Heller.
“I knew going back to LaFollette was going to be special, but didn’t realize I would feel like I was getting to do the project all over again” said Pedigo, who has gone on to produce numerous Emmy Award winning NPT documentaries like Beautiful Tennessee: Our Scenic Waterways, Next Door Neighbors and Children’s Health Crisis. “I have to say, seeing our professor Rob Heller made me a little nervous. We wanted to do the project justice.”
This year, the Eyes on LaFollete project will also be transformed from pictures printed on newspaper, to the walls of the Tennessee State Museum. Eyes on LaFollette: UT Student Photojournalism Project Marks 20 Years, running from October 3 to November 30 at the Museum, will include select photographs culled from 17 editions, tens of thousands of images, and the work of more than 250 students, Emigh has more than a few that will be featured in the exhibit. The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, visit tnmuseum.org.
“To see the culmination of two decades of work from so many brilliant UT student photographers is such an exciting opportunity,” said Emigh, an Emmy Award winning NPT videographer. “I can’t wait to see this exhibition— it’s going to be a real treat!”
The Eyes on LaFollette segment will re-air on Tennessee Crossroads on NPT on Sunday September 28 at 10 a.m. on NPT. It will also be available on the Tennessee Crossroads website, www.tennesseecrossroads.org by searching for “Eyes on LaFollette.”