Media Contact:
Anna Dahlstein, 919/513-0379

Sept. 30, 2005

NCSU Libraries to Showcase White House Photojournalist’s Work

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Amid a comprehensive collection of photographs spanning 25 years, photographer Diana Walker has captured the essence of historic moments, bringing the public face to face with such important notable figures as American presidents, foreign dignitaries, and political activists. From Oct. 15, 2005, through Jan. 8, 2006, the NCSU Libraries is hosting Diana Walker: Photojournalist, a traveling exhibition featuring 83 selected photographs from her career. Covers and page layouts from Time and other magazines document the transformation of individual photographs into iconic publishing moments. Installed on the mezzanine of the D.H. Hill Library, the exhibition is free and open to the public.

Produced by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the exhibition takes a look at candid moments in the lives of five American presidents and other prominent individuals of the past three decades. Walker’s images will be familiar to many viewers: President Nelson Mandela of South Africa showing the Clintons the cell he occupied for years at the Robben Island Prison; Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev having tea in 1985; and Tipper and Al Gore kissing at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

An award-winning photographer, Diana Walker began her career as a freelancer before joining the ranks of Time magazine’s staff, assigned to cover the White House from the Ford administration in 1976 to the last day of President Bill Clinton’s second term in 2001. Her journey in pictures took her on the campaign trail with presidential hopefuls, behind the scenes with the first families, and around the world.

A pioneering woman in what continues to be a predominantly male profession, Walker possesses not only superb camera skills, but also the confidence and the diplomacy needed to gain the trust of her subjects. The exhibition includes descriptions, in her own words, of the circumstances surrounding the events depicted and her impressions of her subjects.

For more exhibit information, visit the Web at www.lib.ncsu.edu/exhibits/dianawalker/. Press kits and high-resolution images of selected photographs are available to members of the media by ID and password authentication at the Media Photo Gallery page at www.lib.ncsu.edu/exhibits/dianawalker/media.html.

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