PRESS

Thanks to Smoky Mountain Living and Our State magazines for recent articles on the Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas and Great Smoky Mountains Vistas books.

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Tim Barnwell’s compelling photographs of the places and people of Appalachia present an important element of the American cultural heritage. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, he has spent over 35 years as a professional photographer and instructor-including eight years directing the Appalachian Photographic Workshops. His work is the subject of three books, The Face of Appalachia, Earths Furrowed Brow, and Hands in Harmony. His images have been presented in magazines ranging from Time and Newsweek to Travel South and National Parks. They are included in numerous museum and private collections including; Metropolitan Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the High Museum in Atlanta, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, the Newark Museum of Art.

QUOTES

"He (TIM BARNWELL) may be the most gifted documentary photographer to come out of Appalachia since the Depression. Barnwell emulates F.S.A. masters with superb subject material, good, clean images and a solid point of view. And he knows the territory. Barnwell revives the freshness in photos of baptisms in the creeks, families in their shacks, farmers plowing and social gatherings at the general store. These photos seem to say that not much has changed in Appalachia over the past 50 years." - THE VILLAGE VOICE (NY) / FRED McDARRAH

“These photographs are deceptive. They might have been taken in the years of the Great Depression, when Farm Security Administration sent forth a bevy of photographers to capture the working people of America. Gorgeous landscapes, even in winter, capture the pristine beauty of the land. Images of people with their animals show eloquently their close bond to nature. Barnwell clearly holds a deep respect for these mountain people, their lives shaped by the elements.” - BLACK AND WHITE MAGAZINE / SHAWN O'SULLIVAN

"Tim Barnwell’s book The Face of Appalachia, Portraits from the Mountain Farm, is filled with so many great photographs (and I do mean great), that further editing would prove not only difficult, but painful. When an artist has as many remarkable images as he has, we can truly praise him. Great photographers make great photographs. He approaches his subjects by getting to know them, gaining their trust before he photographs them. When they are ready they look directly into the camera. They strike their own pose, giving their portrait to him. To that end, he is supremely successful. And then, we hear their voices as they tell their stories. He puts them at ease. He draws them out. They didn’t know they were saying anything of consequence; it was just talk. Tim knew differently. What they say is of the utmost importance to him. Later he would shape it into prose. Barnwell’s masterpiece might be the photograph of Peggy Harmon tending her dying aunt. They gaze into each other’s eyes, as the younger woman comforts the older, brushing the hair from her face. I’m reminded here of W. Eugene Smith’s famous photograph “Tomoko in her bath.” It has that same kind of power-the power of love. A lot of Tim’s love has gone into this book–a love of the land and those who inhabit it. If these people are shaped by the land (and they are), Tim Barnwell grew out of the same earth. By immortalizing them, he has immortalized himself." - GEORGE A. TICE / PHOTOGRAPHER & AUTHOR (from Foreword to The Face of Appalachia)

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS VISTAS AND BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY VISTAS BOOKS

THE NATIONAL PARKS TURN 100-podcast of The State of Things from WUNF-FM, a NC public radio program with host Frank Stasio. Mr. Barnwell interviewed as part of their program on the national parks and his book Great Smoky Mountains Vistas. Four guest on the program from August 25, 2016. Mr. Barnwell's segment starts at 24:30 on time on podcast. About 6 minute segment.

BLUE RIDGE COUNTRY MAGAZINE 2015 - Article about Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas book talk at Roanoke, VA library

THE DAILY SOUTH-SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE BLOG - Online article on blog about Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas book

THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER NEWSPAPER - Online article about Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas book

GO KNOXVILLE - Website article about Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas book

HIGH COUNTRY NC - Article on Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas book