Barry Lopez (b. January 6, 1945 — d. December 25, 2020), was an American writer best known for his books on natural history and the environment. In recognition of Lopez’s lasting influence, fifty photographers donated a collection of prints in his honor, selected in relation to entries in the book Lopez authored, "Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape." The exhibition celebrates the pleasures to be found in the land and discovery to renew our connection to the places that inspire our memories, hopes, and desires.
In 2001, Texas Tech University acquired Lopez’s manuscripts, notebooks, field journals, professional correspondence, and other archival materials, and with them founded the James E. Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community, and the Natural World. Lopez was appointed Texas Tech University’s first visiting distinguished scholar in 2003, a position he held until his death. He visited the Lubbock campus each semester to work closely with faculty and students in the Honors College, as well as architecture and its Land Arts program, biology, history, geography and English. Along with a team of faculty and administrators at TTU, Lopez helped develop the Environment and the Humanities degree program for the Honors College, which combined study in the sciences and humanities.
In conjunction with the exhibit From Here to the Horizon: Photographs in Honor of Barry Lopez, the Museum of Texas Tech University will host a reading and book signing on October 3, 2024 at 6 PM.
This event is FREE, but RSVP is required. To RSVP: Call (806) 742-2443 or email jouana.stravlo@ttu.edu.