Endangered: Joel Sartore Retrospective

Catawba Valley Camera Club and the Hickory Museum of Art present the images of National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.

Through his images of the Earth’s creatures, Sartore’s artwork illustrates both the beauty and the tragedy of animal species threatened by extinction, demonstrating that photography matters. In the finest documentary tradition, Sartore passionately captures striking artworks to help viewers understand the importance of saving these unique animals, while also ultimately saving ourselves.

Sartore writes, “… Every species is a work of art, created over thousands or even millions of years, and each is worth saving simply because it is so unique and priceless.”

The installation includes 55 prints. Half of the images show animals in their natural environments – highlighting the effects of deforestation, industrialization, oil spills, and city growth on their habitats. The other half of the prints are Photo Ark images – studio-style portraits of the world’s captive species (species under human care) photographed against a white or black background. Sartore writes, “Isolating the animals against black and white backgrounds allows us to look them in the eye and see that these creatures contain beauty, grace, and intelligence.”

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website