Have you ever wanted to take a peek and see what the most remote part of the world looks like? Starting tomorrow, Philadelphians officially have that unique opportunity.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Joyce Ferder Rankin is bringing her one-woman exhibition to Philly
According to a release, Joyce Ferder Rankin, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who has also had her jaw-dropping work featured in National Geographic is bringing her one-woman exhibition “Degrees°” to Old City’s Jewish Arts Center (OCJAC) from Thursday, January 9th to Sunday, February 9th. The show will highlight 50 photos and videos from Ferder’s travels to the Arctic and Antarctica featuring her documentation on the effects of climate change on the landscape and wildlife.
“Spending time photographing the landscape and wildlife, in some of the harshest weather conditions in the world, was life-changing,” said Ferder in a release. “Global warming is having a profound effect on the ecosystems in the polar regions. When you see polar bears, penguins and other species in their natural habitat, and witness first-hand the disastrous effect that climate change has on them and their surroundings, you can’t but wonder what’s next. This is my opportunity, through the beauty of the landscape and wildlife, to show people what is happening now, and the urgent need to institute solutions in our daily lives to help mitigate the worst that is to come.”
Bringing her premiere work to the City of Brotherly Love was natural for the photojournalist — Ferder first got her start in Philly at the age of 17 at KYW-TV News. After leaving the city, Ferder began an impressive career in conflict coverage, leading her to assignments in the Falklands Islands War, Desert Storm in Iraq and the Bosnian War — working for top broadcasters including the BBC, CBS, ABC, CBC, EBU, and NBC, to name just a few accolades.
According to the release, Ferder was one of the few women to work as a cameraperson and editor in conflict zones. In 1997, while working in Kenya for the UN World Food Programme, Ferder was involved in a car accident where she sustained a traumatic brain injury that affected her vision, making it impossible to continue her work as a war journalist. After many years of physical therapy and hard work, she began using her still camera again as a therapeutic tool.
“I came up with a new approach to my work,” added Ferder in the release. “I began to travel around the world, including places such as the Arctic, as well as some of the most remote regions of Antarctica, working to document a world that we are fast losing to climate change.”
Aside from her one-woman exhibition, Ferder is also planning on making her feature filmmaker debut with her documentary “Degreesº To Extinction,” but Philadelphians should head to the Jewish Arts Center to see what started it all.
To learn more about Joyce Ferder Rankin visit jferderrankinphotography.com
