Nationally Renowned Photographer to Unveil Cherry Hill Collection Thursday Night

Nationally renowned photographer Carol M. Highsmith will unveil her photographs of Cherry Hill this week.

The woman known as “America’s Photographer” will offer a look “Behind the Lens” of her decades-long project to photograph America for the Library of Congress on Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Cherry Hill Public Library, 7 p.m.

Highsmith has traveled the country photographing the landscape, people, buildings and culture of cities and states across the United States since 1992. She spent two days in Cherry Hill taking pictures in the spring.

Cherry Hill is the first New Jersey municipality to be photographed for the series. Highsmith’s images feature some of the Township’s most iconic local landmarks, places and historic sites, including Barclay Farmstead, Croft Farm, the Cherry Hill Public Library and Cherry Hill Mall.

Those photos will be unveiled Thursday night, and will remain on display at the library through the month of December.

She will also give residents a chance to hear firsthand what inspires her work, what attracts her attention, and what she hopes to achieve during her travels.

“Carol is a fascinating person who has seen firsthand every facet of our country, photographed presidents, and captured priceless moments in time,” Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn said. “Whether you’re a photographer, an art enthusiast, a history buff, or a casual observer, everyone will walk away from this look ‘Behind the Lens’ with a new appreciation not just for our community, but for all of America.”

All of her work is donated, rights-free, to the Library of Congress, for the use and enjoyment of the American public.

With the support of the nonprofit This is America! Foundation, Highsmith has completed four comprehensive state explorations to date, and is working on two others. The focus of her historic, nationwide study will produce an enduring visual record of our nation today.

The Carol M. Highsmith Collection is among the top six collections out of 15 million images in the Library’s Prints and Photographs archive, where it resides alongside the work of Civil War master photographer Mathew Brady, pioneer female photography Frances Benjamin Johnston, Depression photojournalist Dorothea Lange and others.

Click here for details, or to register for the Dec. 3 event.

For more information about Highsmith’s work, visit http://www.CarolHighsmithAmerica.com. To learn about the Carol M. Highsmith Archive at the Library of Congress, visit http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/.