Artist Feature: Jerome De Perlinghi
Photo by Sara Silvestri
Adjunct photojournalism professor Jerome De Perlinghi is an extraordinary talent that I have had the pleasure to study under at Loyola University Chicago. The French photographer has captured moments for celebrities such as Morgan Freeman, Johnny Depp and Liam Neeson. Even with these impressive accomplishments Perlinghi still prefers to capture day to day life in the world which he lives.
With his impressive resume Perlinghi in his later years has settled down with his wife in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has such a passion for photography, he flies to and from Charlotte to Chicago to teach his Photojournalism course at Loyola once a week.
Recently, Perlinghi has decided to put down the camera to work toward other creative photo focused endeavors. His latest work is as a curator for a large outdoor and indoor photography festival in Wilson, North Carolina. The festival called Eyes on Main Street features 100 photographs by 100 photographers displayed on streets of Wilson.
The festival begins on April 21st and will run till July 29th 2018. The festival has many notable sponsors and the band Fireside Collective as their musical partner.
Perlinghi was excited to inform that the festival has been coming along greatly. However, his biggest concern seemed to be funding. ” I’m still looking for one more large corporate sponsor,” said Perlinghi. “Money is the only part I don’t like because you have to knock on every door and people don’t really know how to say no to you. They want to help the cause but often never follow through.”
Perlinghi doesn’t like how money can stand in the way of art ” I want to work to display beautiful art. There should be no limit put on what we create over money.” The festival has many guest lectures and artist who come to spread photography knowledge with participants. “Everything is free.” Perlinghi says. “We have lot of young students who come from poor families, $25 for a lecture is a lot for them and I want them to access the knowledge being provided without having to pay a dime.”
The images in the festival are to represent the crossroads of culture found in America. The photographers featured in the festival come from 35 different countries. The 100 artists are equal parts male and female. The images come from individuals with diverse backgrounds to enrich an entire community and elevate all voices. Wilson, North Carolina should indeed have all eyes on this exhibition.
