Artist of the Month: Nicolas Sohl ‘10

This month, photographer Nicolas Sohl ‘10 will present, “Madagascar’s Antandroy: People of the Thorns: Food Security, Family, and Climate Change in Southern Madagascar.”

The Antandroy of southern Madagascar embody the meaning of their name– “people of the thorns”.  They have inhabited Madagascar’s austere landscape of thorn trees, spiny underbrush, and dry soils since the 16th century.  They are a tough, fiercely passionate, and resilient people; shaped by their harsh surroundings and often obstinate in the face of outside authority.

Cyclical droughts, poor soil, and locust have always been a part of life in the south, however climate change and local deforestation appears to be pushing their hardship to the extreme.  Severe drought has plagued the south for three of the last of the five years, and crop production was down thirty to forty percent in 2009.  According to the World Bank, average rainfall in Madagascar has fallen by 10 % and average temperature has risen by 10%. The UN World Food Program has warned of famine, calling for food aid in many areas to make up for the shortfall in 2009 crop production.  This series of images provides an honest and dignified look at the struggles and successes of the Antandroy in farming for their families.  The images attest to the resilience and strength needed to deal with a changing climate and serve as an indicator of the challenges to come from climate change on a global scale.

Nicolas Sohl ‘10 is a Geography major from Long Beach, California.  His passion for photography began at the age of nine and he has nurtured his craft without formal training.  His work has been featured in several gallery exhibitions and in local Middlebury publications including the 2009 Middlebury College Calendar, Middlebury Geographic, and emprISe.  He currently works as a photos editor for the Middlebury Campus.

There will be a reception for the exhibit on Thursday, February 11, 7:00 – 11:00 pm. Jazz band Scrambled Legs will provide the evening’s musical entertainment.