Hunter’s Southbound puts the on South display

The new South is now on display, thanks to 200 images taken by more than 56 photographers, at The Hunter Museum of American Art as part of Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South

Organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, the exhibit showcases the history of the American South on film. The region is among the most culturally diverse and storied, and, therefore, photographed in the world.

These photographs, though relatively small in number, capture that diversity and vitality.

It is divided into four themes: Glimpses into Communities, Environment, Autobiographical/Personal and Coming to Terms with the Past.

It is designed to provide visitors the chance to explore issues both specific to the South and universal in nature, such as the impact of man on nature, stereotypes and economic growth.

An interactive “cluster map” will accompany the photographs that highlights characteristics mostly unique to the South. In addition, an extensive stand-alone website, southboundproject.org, features critical essays, videos profiling individual artists, and 350 additional photographs of the region.

“Containing over 150 photographs from 56 different artists, Southbound is an impressive exhibition highlighting the complex and differing experiences that define the South in the 21st Century,” said museum director Virginia Anne Sharber.

“Each of the exhibition’s various depictions of the region is an important voice in the conversation of the American story. As an American art museum connecting people of every background to creativity, knowledge and ideas, the Hunter is pleased to present these varied interpretations of an American region having its own distinct social, racial and cultural identity, steeped in tradition, yet constantly changing.”

The Hunter will be using the exhibition and the four themes as a launching point to offer a number of related events, including artist talks, film screenings and discussions, community dialogues, and even a chef’s tasting. Visit huntermuseum. org for complete event listings and links to additional Southbound materials.

“Southbound pushes the understanding of the South from a place that has been traditionally misunderstood as mysterious or different to one that is provocative, complex, and self-reflective,” says Hunter Museum Associate Curator Natalie Mault Mead. “The images are often familiar and yet strange at the same time, making you rethink about the place that many of us call home.”

Compiled by Barry Courter

Magdalena Sole, “Brooklyn Chapel” from the series “The Delta — A Journey through the Deep South,” 2010, Archival pigment print, 14x21 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

Susan Worsham, “Marine, Hotel near Airport, Richmond, Virginia” from the series “By the Grace of God,” 2009, archival print, 32x40 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

John Lusk Hathaway, “Backman’s Seafood” from the series “Archaeology of Water,” 2013, Archival pigment print, 16x30. Courtesy of the artist.

Alex Harris, “Eliza’s Birthday Party” from the series “Family,” 2004, Archival pigment print, 22x27 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

Sheila Pree Bright, “#ReclaimMLK Day, Black Lives Matter Disrupts M.L.K. Jr. Day Parades Across the Country” from the series “#1960Now,” 2015, Archival pigment print, 20x30 inches. Courtesy of the artist.