Chris Rainier, a National Geographic photographer considered one of the leading documentary photographers today, will speak Sunday, September 22, at UT’s McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture.
Rainier’s talk is titled “Cultures on the Edge: The Race Against Time to Help Empower Traditional Cultures.”
The presentation, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., is part of the museum’s fiftieth anniversary lecture series. It is free and open to the public.
Rainier’s life mission is to capture on film the remaining natural wilderness and indigenous cultures around the globe and to use images to create social change.
He will talk about his own photography, as well as his work helping indigenous communities document, revitalize, and maintain their quickly disappearing ancient cultures with the help of computers, cameras, and video.
Traveling the planet for more than thirty years, Rainier has documented communities struggling to save their ancient ways of living. He is a National Geographic Society Fellow and directs the All Roads Photography Program. He also co-directs the Enduring Voices Project under the auspices of the National Geographic Missions Program. His photography has been featured in Time, Life, Smithsonian Magazine, the New York Times, Outside, and publications of the National Geographic Society.
The McClung’s fiftieth anniversary lecture series brings in worldwide experts to speak on topics related to the museum’s collections and exhibitions.
Upcoming lectures feature:
- Salima Ikram, Egyptologist and mummy expert, October 15
- Marc Spencer, vertebrate paleontologist and dinosaur specialist, October 27
The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive on the UT campus. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive on the weekdays. Parking passes are not needed on the weekends.
The museum’s exhibits include archaeology, ancient Egypt, decorative arts, the Battle of Fort Sanders, geology, and fossils. Admission is free.
For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.
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CONTACTS:
Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)
Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)