April 16 Photo Exhibition Focuses on Community Support
BLACKSBURG, Va., March 21, 2008 – April 16: Remembrance, Recognition, and Healing, 
an exhibition at the Perspective Gallery at Virginia Tech, will be on display Saturday, April 5 through Sunday, April 20. It is a special exhibit to honor those lost in the April 16 tragedy, and to recognize the overwhelming support of the local and worldwide community. Perspective Gallery, on the second floor of the Squires Student Center, is open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. The show is sponsored by University Unions & Student Activities (UUSA), a unit of the Division of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech.
April 16: Remembrance, Recognition, and Healing features photos taken by members of the community in the weeks following the April 16 tragedy, as well as items from the university’s Prevail Archives which were sent from all over the world to support Virginia Tech. “The show seeks to honor the victims, recognize the support we received, and celebrate the strength and spirit of this community,” said Mary Tartaro, UUSA Art Programs Coordinator and curator of the show. 
Out of hundreds of submissions, 40 images by more than 25 photographers were chosen by Tartaro. Captions from the photographers, expressing their emotions at the time they took them, are included with the photos. The photos are displayed in chronological order, beginning with the Burruss Hall flag at half mast, then moving through shots of rescue vehicles and media trucks, to memorials set up on the drill field and around town. The convocation and candlelight vigil are represented, both in photos and DVD clips. The dedication of the memorials stones on the Drill Field is also included. The images then move on to show how the Virginia Tech community is moving forward together, with shots of the Concert for Virginia Tech, “VT Thanks You” spelled out on the drill field for a satellite photo, and the vigil held in support of NIU. The items from the archives follow a similar course, providing the three dimensional aspect of the same story of overwhelming support for VT.
Contact Gallery Director Mary Tartaro at 540 231 4053, tartaro@vt.edu, www.uusa.vt.edu/artGallery/
Photo credits:
Laura Stanley, Blacksburg, VA, “Together We Mourn”
Jeff Reid, Lynchburg, VA, “Free Hugs”
Michael Kiernan, Virginia Tech University Relations, “VT Thanks You”
CONTACT:
Sandy Broughton
(540) 231- 3467
siemens@vt.edu