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A Long Arc: Photography and the American South: Since 1845
Collects over 175 years of key moments in the visual history of the Southern United States, with over two hundred photographs taken from 1845 to present
The South is perhaps the most mythologized region in the United States and also one of the most depicted. Since the dawn of photography in the nineteenth century, photographers have articulated the distinct and evolving character of the South’s people, landscape, and culture and reckoned with its fraught history. Indeed, many of the urgent questions we face today about what defines the American experience—from racism, poverty, and the legacy of slavery to environmental disaster, immigration, and the changes wrought by a modern, global economy—appear as key themes in the photography of the South. The visual history of the South is inextricably intertwined with the history of photography and also the history of America, and is therefore an apt lens through which to examine American identity.
A Long Photography and the American South accompanies a major exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, with more than one hundred photographers represented, including Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Gordon Parks, William Eggleston, Sally Mann, Carrie Mae Weems, Dawoud Bey, Alec Soth, and An-My Lê. Insightful texts by Imani Perry, Sarah Kennel, Makeda Best, and Rahim Fortune, among others, illuminate this broad survey of photographs of the Southern United States as an essential American story.
Copublished by Aperture and High Museum of Art, Atlanta
The South is perhaps the most mythologized region in the United States and also one of the most depicted. Since the dawn of photography in the nineteenth century, photographers have articulated the distinct and evolving character of the South’s people, landscape, and culture and reckoned with its fraught history. Indeed, many of the urgent questions we face today about what defines the American experience—from racism, poverty, and the legacy of slavery to environmental disaster, immigration, and the changes wrought by a modern, global economy—appear as key themes in the photography of the South. The visual history of the South is inextricably intertwined with the history of photography and also the history of America, and is therefore an apt lens through which to examine American identity.
A Long Photography and the American South accompanies a major exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, with more than one hundred photographers represented, including Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Gordon Parks, William Eggleston, Sally Mann, Carrie Mae Weems, Dawoud Bey, Alec Soth, and An-My Lê. Insightful texts by Imani Perry, Sarah Kennel, Makeda Best, and Rahim Fortune, among others, illuminate this broad survey of photographs of the Southern United States as an essential American story.
Copublished by Aperture and High Museum of Art, Atlanta
- GenresPhotography
352 pages, Hardcover
Published November 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 31, 2024
As a photographic artist and educator who was born and raised in Louisiana, I can not recommend this book enough! this photobook is a refreshing take on the constant flux of the American South and how imagery has historically shaped the country’s broader view of the region.
Imani Perry’s introduction essay “An Incomplete Puzzle” puts into words feelings that are often felt by southerners. She writes, “The south is not static, but it is traditional. —…it is the proverbial “changing same”, as is so much of the Southern-built environment and the habits nurtured around it. Perhaps this is due in part to the landscape. The way nature takes over everything that humans create and destroy keeps people humble and wedded to what they know.”
This book is an important chronicle of the regions makers, history, and continuous renaissance. Divided in sequence by essays and linear time periods, the book provides a confluence of information on photographic history and it’s conjunction with social movements. Aside from being an informative read, the work inside the book is incredibly curated by the team at the High Museum and the book’s design wonderfully handled by the folks at Aperture.
What I find most refreshing about this book is the nuance it holds. The troubles of the south, the weight it holds, the undeniable beauty and tenacity of the land and people there, and the way it’s shaped the nation as a whole.
Please dive into this wonderfully massive project, find a few new favorite photographers and writers, and remember why the American South is a place to be held dear!
Imani Perry’s introduction essay “An Incomplete Puzzle” puts into words feelings that are often felt by southerners. She writes, “The south is not static, but it is traditional. —…it is the proverbial “changing same”, as is so much of the Southern-built environment and the habits nurtured around it. Perhaps this is due in part to the landscape. The way nature takes over everything that humans create and destroy keeps people humble and wedded to what they know.”
This book is an important chronicle of the regions makers, history, and continuous renaissance. Divided in sequence by essays and linear time periods, the book provides a confluence of information on photographic history and it’s conjunction with social movements. Aside from being an informative read, the work inside the book is incredibly curated by the team at the High Museum and the book’s design wonderfully handled by the folks at Aperture.
What I find most refreshing about this book is the nuance it holds. The troubles of the south, the weight it holds, the undeniable beauty and tenacity of the land and people there, and the way it’s shaped the nation as a whole.
Please dive into this wonderfully massive project, find a few new favorite photographers and writers, and remember why the American South is a place to be held dear!
Displaying 1 of 1 review