Jim Loring hangs one of the photos from his exhibit. (Photo/Tabitha Ford)
North Georgia Technical College Photography Program Director, Jim Loring, opened a new photo exhibition at the Smith-Williams Art Studio at Piedmont College in Demorest this week.
The show, entitled No Boundaries, features humanitarian photography from around the world.
In his artist statement about the show, Loring describes the exhibit as exploring “the invisible walls that divide and keep humanity apart. These images span the globe with recurring themes: the invisible lines that separate childhood from adulthood; the impact of HIV/AIDS; the continuing struggle for food security; the human cost of climate change; education as a means to break the cycle of poverty; what it means to be a refugee; and the amazing ability of humanity to survive.”
Loring began working as a humanitarian photographer in 1987, when he was asked to photograph orphans in Romania. Since then he has completed over 70 international assignments for some of the world’s leading relief and development organizations, including Care International, World Vision and World Relief.
The photographs in this exhibit were taken all over the world, from countries including Brazil, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Dominican Republic, Mali and others. The images span 30 years, with the oldest being from Loring’s early work in 1989, and the most recent from a trip to Afghanistan in 2018. As an instructor, he has continued to travel with trips including Mali in 2012, Lebanon in 2014, where he photographed Syrian refugees, Nepal in 2016, and Afghanistan in 2018.
Thirty-six images are featured in the exhibition, which Loring explains was intentional. “On an old roll of film you take 36 photos, and that was the inspiration behind the number of photographs in the show. Some of them were taken on old film and some on digital cameras.”
Loring began teaching at North Georgia Tech in 2007 after moving to the United States in 2004, but continues to work as a documentary photographer.
“My passion for this work reflects through in my teaching and it keeps what I’m doing relevant,” said Loring. “But more than that I talk about the privilege of being a photographer and creating a body of work over a lifetime, and we have control over what that body of work will be. Whether the students are passionate about food, sports, commercial, or any other type of photography – I’m demonstrating what I’m talking about by doing it.”
The exhibition will be open to the public from now until April 4th and can be viewed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 2 to 7 p.m. on weekends. Loring will give a keynote address at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 4 in the Swanson Center Screening Room at Piedmont College; there will be a reception in the exhibition space at 6 p.m. that evening.
His previous exhibits include “From the Earth, for the Earth,” in Clayton, GA and “What Does It Mean to be a Refugee?” in Atlanta.
“A driving force behind my work is to photograph people on the edge of survival.” said Loring. “The main idea that inspired this collection of photographs is that all life is a miracle and all people are equally valuable.”
The Smith-Williams Art Studio is located at 568 Laurel Ave., Demorest GA 30535.
