Mar 12: Photojournalist Platon to Lecture

Brevard College students walking past bell tower

Gifted storyteller and world-renowned portrait photographer Platon will deliver the spring 2015 J. R. McDowell lecture Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ingram Auditorium in the Dunham Music Building on the Brevard College campus. Tickets are $10 (cash or check) and can be purchased at the Transylvania County Library.

The talk, titled “Powerful Portraits: An Intimate Look at Humanity and Leadership,” is sponsored by the Transylvania County Library Foundation in partnership with Brevard College. Platon’s work has graced the pages of a wide range of international publications, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New Yorker, GQ, and Rolling Stone. His work for Time magazine produced over 20 covers. In 2007, he photographed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Time’s “Person of the Year” cover. In addition to his photojournalism work, Platon’s images have been exhibited in galleries and museums both domestically and abroad.

Platon will share his images and his experiences photographing an eclectic mix of subjects, from world leaders to celebrities to activists. His presentation will include highlights from his book, “Power,” chronicling over 100 Heads of State, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Tony Blair, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez. He will share the stories from his photo essays on the U.S. military, civil rights movement, his work with Human Rights Watch, which includes the leaders of the Egyptian revolution, and, most recently, photographing Edward Snowden in Moscow for his exclusive interview with Wired magazine.

The J. R. McDowell speaker series, named for Transylvania County Library Foundation Board member emeritus J. R. McDowell, is designed to present a wide array of viewpoints on challenging and thought-provoking topics.

The Library Foundation enhances the library and the community through five additional areas of support, including funds for the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room; underwriting special events for children; exploring new technologies in library services; providing continuing education and career enhancement for library staff with the Elizabeth R. Kapp Tyson Professional Development Fund; and memorial gifts and collections.