MO Photo Workshop thanks Kennett

The truck bays of the Kennett Fire Station #2 were transformed into a photo gallery on Saturday, Sept. 28, allowing about 480 residents to view the photo stories produced by the Missouri Photo Workshop photographers visiting Kennett last week.

The 420 photographs were part of stories and single photos taken during the week by photographers from around the world.

“The workshop thanks the residents of Kennett for the warm welcome and the generous giving of their time,” said Brian Kratzer, workshop director and faculty member at the University of Missouri. “It is brave to let an outsider in, yet alone into your homes and private relationships. The smiles and tears I saw at the show — from both photographers and residents — shows how the combination of quiet photography and relationships is one of the most honest and emotional ways to do journalism.” Kratzer hopes everyone walks away with a better understanding of what good journalism looks like while learning about small-town Missouri.

“Everyone walks away wiser after an intense week,” he said.

MPW thanks so many, including Mayor Crafton, Melissa Combs, Jan McElwrath, Gary Figgins, Tina Brown and Richard Rickman….and many others for story ideas, hospitality and kindness. Figgins visited the MPW headquarters in 1987 at Caruthersville and displayed a wonderful printing plate from the photo spread printed in the newspaper that year.

Thank you to the First Baptist Church. They provided the headquarters for the week in their wonderful modern facility. Figgins came by the First Baptist Church Family Life Center often, ensuring we had everything we needed. And he helped secure tables for the final show.