In honor of the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition’s (AMPC) 20th Anniversary, University Recreation, in partnership with the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State and Virtual Blue Ridge, will be hosting six Appalachian photographers in this year’s anniversary exhibition.

Celebrating the 20-year history of the exhibition, artists Jessica Maceda, Byron Tenesaca-Guaman, and Alicia Green will be welcomed back to the AMPC to share their work. Jessica Maceda will share images, spanning more than a decade, documenting the landscapes of the area through the lens of a local community member. Byron Tenesaca-Guaman’s work highlights the “system of reciprocity that exists between humans and the mountains” in his homes of an ancestral community in the Ecuadorian Andes and the Cherokee Mountains of Southern Appalachia. Through candid portraits and action photography, Alicia Green’s work uplifts the local skater scene.

Representing the future possibilities of the competition and expanding Appalachian narratives, artists Raymond Thompson Jr., Ant M. Lobo, and Wendy Ewald have been invited to share their work. In his series, Appalachian Ghosts, Raymond Thompson Jr. “recontextualizes and re-presents archival photographs” documenting the construction of Hawks Nest Tunnel, built “to divert the New River near Fayetteville, WV,” and brings forth the importance of African-American narratives. Ant M. Lobo’s work shares intimate photographs and writings that share their experience revisiting Black Mountain College’s Lake Eden campus. Artist and educator Wendy Ewald will be exhibiting images from her series, Portraits and Dreams, which offers a unique methodology for empowering communities to tell their own stories through work created by her students in Letcher County, KY.

The 20th AMPC anniversary invitational exhibition will open at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on Friday, March 3, 2023 with a public reception from 5 – 9 PM. The photographs will be on view through June 3, 2023. The AMPC exhibition is hosted in conjunction with the BANFF Film Festival at Appalachian State University. As part of the 20th AMPC anniversary celebrations, there will be public programming at the Turchin Center on Saturday, April 1, 2023 that will highlight the history of the AMPC programming in Boone as well as showcase current topics explored by Appalachian photographers:

12:00 – 1:00 pm Panel discussion with exhibiting artists – Celebrating Appalachian Photography.

1:30 – 3:00 pm Portfolio Walkthrough with participants from the 18-19th Annual AMPC.

3:00 – 4:00 pm – Documentary screening of Portraits and Dreams by Wendy Ewald.

4:00 – 6:00 pm – AMPC Private Reception.

Mark your calendars to participate in a community celebration of Appalachian visual heritage and identity. There will be a People’s Choice Award that will begin on March 3, 2023, the day the show opens and will close on March 31, 2023, the day before the reception, so be sure to cast your vote!

The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Mast General Store. Additional support comes from Appalachian Voices, Bistro Roca, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Footsloggers Outfitters, Peabody’s, Stickboy Bread and Smoky Mountain Living.