Each spring, professor Rob Heller from UT’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media in the College of Communication and Information takes his advanced photojournalism students to LaFollette, Tennessee, to find and photograph stories in the Campbell County community of 7,000, about 45 miles north of Knoxville.

It’s a ritual that has been reaping rewards for Heller, his students, and the public for more than a quarter of a century. Spring 2020 will mark the 27th anniversary of Eyes on Lafollette.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Eyes on LaFollette. Helmed by Professor Robert Heller, what began as a brief excursion for photojournalism students in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media has since become a monumental documentary effort, with more than 100,000 photographs cataloging both change and tradition in the quiet East Tennessee town. 

Eyes takes students more than an hour away from campus to LaFollette, allowing them to spend a weekend working as real photojournalists – chasing stories, interviewing locals, and using the photography skills they have learned in the semester leading up to their trip.

Eyes on LaFollette, the small town documentary project undertaken by advanced photojournalism students each year, celebrated its 20^th anniversary this spring. However, the celebration isn’t over just yet.

The Tennessee State Museum announced it will host an exhibit featuring photographs from the project October through December 2014 in Nashville. Photojournalism professor Rob Heller will help curate the exhibition.

“It’s not often that students get to display their work in front of such a large audience,” he says. “We are trying to reach the entire state.”