Nov. 6, 2006 -- “We are nature. Our natural instincts drive us to use, control, dominate, nurture and find a spiritual connection to our landscape. Spirituality, sexuality and dominance intertwine in my work, as our survival as a species has relied upon these motifs,” wrote photographer Jeff Whetstone in his artist statement.

An exhibition of Whetstone’s works titled “New Wilderness,” will be on exhibit at the McIntire Department of Art’s Off Grounds Gallery Nov. 25. The exhibit opens with a reception on Friday, Nov. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. Gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 4-6 p.m., Friday, 3-7 p.m. and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.

Whetstone will give a public lecture about his work in Campbell Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 p.m.

A 1990 graduate of Duke University, Whetstone has been writing about and photographing the human relationship to the land since that time. In 1991, he traveled with migrant workers in the southeastern United States and the Rio Grande Valley in Mexico, to document the life of a family for the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. After receiving his M.F.A. in photography from Yale University in 2001, he was awarded the prestigious Sakier Prize for photography.

Whetstone exhibits nationally and internationally and has received reviews from the The Village Voice, The New York Times, The New Yorker and The Los Angeles Times. His photographs and writings have been featured in numerous publications including Southern Changes, DoubleTake, Southern Exposure and Daylight Magazine.

Whetstone teaches in the Department of Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For more information about the exhibit call the McIntire Department of Art at (434) 924-6123.