18 Mar 2018 Harding plans photography exhibit

The Stevens Art Gallery at Harding University will feature Ellie Hamby’s photography show titled “Seven: Continents, Wonders, Faces and Places.” The show will run through Wednesday, April 18. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and admission is free.

The exhibit documents Hamby’s journey across the globe, spanning 105 countries and all seven continents and capturing the expressions of people and the beauty of the wonders of the world.

“I take pictures that call attention to people and interesting places, and through the camera lens, I can sense this environmental interaction,” Hamby said. “A face expresses the hardship or hope in an individual and by capturing emotions — happiness, joy, contentment, toil, sadness and hopelessness — I might see a glimpse into an entire life story.”

The unforgettable places Hamby has visited have left a lasting impression.

“I have encountered such places while climbing the steep steps of the thousand-year-old rock churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia; sleeping in a thatched hut in the village of Baga in Papua New Guinea; and sharing a meal under a tent with a Bedouin family in the Syrian desert,” she said. “My goal is to continually use my camera to open up an unexplored world filled with new relationships and new stories.”

Hamby is a professional documentary photographer with exhibitions on display in the U.S. and Africa.  

“It is a delight to have this photography exhibit on campus,” said Dr. John Keller, art professor and curator of the Stevens Art Gallery.

“Eleanor has obviously been blessed to be able to travel and photograph these varied, even exotic places. I appreciate her eye for beauty, her sense of composition, and particularly the human interest element that is evident in so many of her photographs.”

Hamby lives in Abilene, Texas, and has a home in Zambia, where she lived for several years and still frequently visits. She serves as co-director of Zambia Medical Missions and administrative coordinator for Zambia Mission. Zambia is also the primary location for Hamby’s business, “Photos by Ellie,” that features postcards, bookmarks and note cards.

For more information about this exhibit as well as other upcoming events in the art department, visit harding.edu/art or call 501.279.4426. To learn more about special events and services offered by the University, visit harding.edu/community.