COVER STORY
Southbound Comes To Town An expansive photographic look at our neighbors and ourselves
By Addie Whitlow Pulse contributor
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The ‘Southbound’ project explores the idea of how the South is an incredibly flux region, meaning that it’s constantly changing and evolving”
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F SOMEONE ASKED YOU TO COME UP WITH A MENTAL PICTURE OF THE South, it’d probably be pretty easy; I mean, we live in the South. However, if you really think about it, the South is an incredibly diverse place. There are the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, the hustle and bustle of Atlanta, the bayous of Louisiana, the Mississippi deltas, and so much more in the states between. Thinking even further, the South has changed substantially over the years, especially since the turn of the 21st century. The Hunter Museum will be showcasing the New South since the year 2000 in their newest photography exhibit, titled “Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South”. “Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South” is a series of 550 photographs, taken by 56 photographers, of the South in the 21st century. The project is actually the largest exhibition of photographs of the American South in the 21st century. The “Southbound” project explores the idea of how the South is an incredibly flux region, meaning that
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it’s constantly changing and evolving, but also how the South is rooted in tradition while letting its past shine through what it is today. It began at the College of Charleston, where it was co-curated by Mark Sloan, Director and Chief Curator of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, and Mark Long, professor of political science. “Southbound” opened last week and will be on display through April 26th. Natalie Mead, Associate Curator at the Hunter Museum, is also the curator on record for this exhibition meaning that she was responsible for figuring out where the photos would be hung, what kind of materials would be used for