Three photographers are the winners of the third Media Studies Photo contest:
- Asher Davidson, a junior communications/journalism major and media studies minor from Black Mountain, North Carolina;
- Dr. Robin Groce, associate professor in the Department of Reading Education and Special Education; and
- Maria Smith, a senior commercial photography major and media studies minor from Wilmington, North Carolina.
The theme of this year's contest is "Returning to Life at App State." After over a year and a half of intermittent sheltering in place and remote learning, many members of App State returned to campus last fall.
“Through this photography competition, we hope to commemorate and celebrate the important memories and events of the last couple of years and to express thanks for the community care that enables us to return to campus amidst an ongoing global pandemic,” said Jeff Goodman, senior lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and faculty coordinator for the contest.
“I think it is very poetic that for a contest where the theme is returning to life that I was able to capture people moving through a building designated for students to gather together as a union of learners,” said Davidson, whose photo is entitled “Gathering Together”. “In the picture, we see students below moving about their days and hanging out with their friends without the restraints of masks. That ability to gather and get a smoothie and work with friends and see their faces is truly what returning to life is.”
Groce captured the first Watauga County Farmers’ market in her photo entitled “Betty’s Biscuits”, noting how the food trucks provided meal opportunities throughout the pandemic.
“Nature was one way for so many to be with others and feel like we were free,” noted Smith, whose photo is entitled “The Path”. “During the pandemic and now, the Blue Ridge is a perfect outlet to go out and have fun with friends.”
The Reich College of Education’s media studies program is structured to prepare students with the technical, aesthetic, and critical skills to leverage a range of media (visual, auditory, multimedia) across many genres (documentary, fiction, narrative) for use in professional careers.
The photos can be viewed on the first floor of the RCOE building.
Winning photos for photo contest
