Photos by two Berea College students are currently on display in the Team Kentucky Gallery, located in the state Capitol Building in Frankfort.
Images by Eduardo Alvarez-Esparza and Gaston Jarju—both members of the Berea College Class of 2023—had images chosen from more than 150 entries submitted from across the state. Only 38 photos were chosen for display.
Alvarez-Esparza’s photograph, titled “Underground Silhouette,” is a candid shot captured during a trip to Carter Caves State Resort Park in Olive Hill, Ky.
A business administration major with a concentration in marketing, Alvarez-Esparza started his journey with photography during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was at home in Alabama. He expanded his skills in event photography, student portraits and post-production editing as part of his labor position as an associate photographer for the Berea College Marketing and Communications office.
“Sometimes, we forget to find passions outside of college,” Alvarez-Esparza said. “I’m glad to have found mine and to share it with the world.”
Jarju’s photograph, titled “Adventures with Mountaineers,” was taken during Berea College’s annual Mountain Day at the Pinnacles of Berea.
An international student from Gambia majoring in computer science and minoring in business administration, Jarju took on photography when he started his labor position as a student photographer in Marketing and Communications.
“I wanted to do something what was not coding,” said Jarju. “I wanted to use my creativity in any way. Photography is a way to find beauty in the little things and to find comfort in each moment I capture.”
Gov. Andy Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear launched the Team Kentucky Gallery to showcase Kentuckians’ artistic talents in the main halls of the state Capitol in Frankfort. According to the gallery’s website, the Beshears “believe the Capitol, as the people’s house, is the best place to highlight Kentuckians’ voices as represented through art.”
The current exhibit runs through July 31, 2023 and can be viewed here.
Photos and the video news release can be viewed here and here.