The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine is issuing an open call for photography to feature in its upcoming exhibition. "Our Valley: A Healthy Place to Live?" will document the extraordinary range and depth of everyday factors that influence our population’s health, while stimulating us to consider ways in which we can improve health.

Raising awareness of the many and complex influences on health is critical to eliminating barriers between everyday life experiences and scientifically based knowledge. Photography can help to achieve greater awareness and enhance understanding of what affects health through direct portrayal of physical and environmental threats, or more subtle images of social activities and cultural influences.

Curated by David Hungate, staff photographer for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, the exhibition will capture the human condition and document the relationships between society, environment, and health, while encouraging viewers to reflect on everyday factors that influence our population’s health. Through contemplation and reflection of images that document where our patients live, work, and play, viewers will be challenged to consider how almost all aspects of life touch on health.

The exhibition, sponsored by the Creativity in Health Education Program at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, will run Aug. 26 to Oct. 28. An opening reception will be held Sept. 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Additional activities, such as artist talks, are being considered and will be announced in the future.

Artists interested in participating should complete an application and submit it to Carrie Knopf, exhibit coordinator, by Aug. 12 at 5 p.m.

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