Member spotlight: Blacksburg exhibit celebrates Timesland photograher Matt Gentry’s 40 years in news

Photo courtesy of The Roanoke TimesNew River Valley photographer Matt Gentry covered recent #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations around Blacksburg. Gentry said he wants his work to tell the stories important to readers. A new gallery exhibit at the Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Center showcases Gentry’s 40-year career in photojournalism.

Photo courtesy of The Roanoke Times

New River Valley photographer Matt Gentry covered recent #BlackLivesMatter demonstrations around Blacksburg. Gentry said he wants his work to tell the stories important to readers. A new gallery exhibit at the Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Center showcases Gentry’s 40-year career in photojournalism.

 
Matt Gentry

Matt Gentry

BLACKSBURG — Matt Gentry started his journalism career as a teenaged delivery boy for the long-defunct Blacksburg Sun newspaper in 1978. It was the start of more than decades in newspapers, much of it documenting the triumphs and tragedies of life in Southwest and Central Virginia for The Roanoke Times and the Charlottesville Daily Progress.

The theme of his long career? “Change,” he said.

From days spent in the darkroom to minutes filing digital galleries from a laptop, through all the change, Gentry has stayed true to the purpose of photojournalism: documentary storytelling.

Whether it’s Hokie football, a high-profile murder case or a Black Lives Matter demonstration, Gentry brings an artist’s eye and a newsman’s dedication to the facts to his work. The Timesland News Guild is proud to call him a member.

From June 10 to Aug. 21, the Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Center will feature a career retrospective of Gentry’s news photography, as well as artifacts that span the evolution of visual newsgathering.

For open hours and directions, visit the museum website. Note: social distancing measures will be in place in the gallery.

Follow Matt on Instagram @sharpiegentry.

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