SOUTHBOUND COMES TO TOWN

An expansive photographic look at our neighbors and ourselves

6 • THE PULSE • FEBRUARY 6, 2020 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM 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 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 I 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. By Addie Whitlow Pulse contributor The ‘Southbound’ project explores the idea of how the South is an incredibly flux region, meaning that it’s constantly changing and evolving” “

the labels and text panels, how the photos would flow through the rest of the space, and more.

“The exhibition itself is part of a much larger kind of scale project. The overall project is called ‘Southbound Projects’. The exhibition is ‘Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South’. So the exhibition was organized by the Halsey Institute in Charleston, and they’ve been working on this show for I think it has to be like five years, and it’s traveling to different venues. We were one of the venues that looked at the show, and we decided that it would work well for our audience,” Mead explained. “And so we are, for the exhibition, kind of tweaking it a little bit so that it fits, both kind of logistically fits within our space, and because it’s such a large exhibition, so that it fits the kind of audience that comes into the museum.”

Mead also explained that the “Southbound” exhibition will be in the Hunter’s temporary exhibition space. Out of the 550 total photographs, the museum has received 220 of them. The photographs are all varying sizes; there are two foot by three foot photographs, six inch by six inch photographs, and sizes both larger and smaller. In order to maximize space while also equally showcasing the photographs, there will be 165 of the 220 photos on display.

“When another organization organizes the show [for the ‘Southbound’ project], it’s a little bit like playing a game of Tetris to figure out what fits

CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM • FEBRUARY 6. 2020 • THE PULSE • 7 within, but it just fit really well in our space. And we like the idea that it’s not an exhibition presenting the South. It’s not an exhibition presenting the American South. It’s an exhibition presenting the New South and what that means, especially for a place like Chattanooga, which is on the cusp of so much new,” said Mead.

An aspect of the exhibition that’s particularly interesting is the way in which many of the photos appear as if they’re capturing unplanned moments of the New South, such as a group of children splashing in an above-ground pool on a hot (and probably humid) summer day, a diner wall adorned with stuffed deer heads, a man masked by the aisles of clothing in a thrift store, powerline towers lined by a river of orange construction fencing, and so much more. Mead explained that one of the goals of the “Southbound” exhibition at the Hunter is for people to relate the photos back to their own personal feelings of the South and what the South means to them. Additionally, the Hunter Museum is encouraging anyone and everyone to take their own photo of the South, upload it to social media, and tag it with @HunterMuseum and #MySouthbound.

The Hunter will also be hosting a variety of programming related to the “Southbound” exhibition, such as a Southern cooking demonstration by a Blue Orleans chef, speeches by several “Southbound” project photographers, a family fun day, an artful meditation, and more.

“I personally think you’re going to walk into the exhibition having a series of questions related to what the South is. And I think you’re going to leave with different questions. The organizers of the exhibition, they really want to present that the South is a place in flux. So if you’re trying to present a place in flux, a place that’s always changing, you know, it gets a little bit hard to nail it down and be like, the South is exactly this thing,” Mead explained. “I do hope that it broadens people’s understanding of the South and makes people wonder what the next ten or twenty years are going to bring.”

And, because it’s not easy to nail down exactly what the South is, the photos span across large regions of the diverse South. Photos included in the “Southbound” project reach as far south as It’s an exhibition presenting the New South and what that means, especially for a place like Chattanooga, which is on the cusp of so much new.” “

the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, as far west as Arkansas, as far north as West Virginia, as far east as the Carolina coast. There will also be photos of Atlanta, Georgia, the Black Belt in Alabama, and everything in between.

Mead also explained that the Hunter will be organizing the photographs via category; specifically, the photos will be grouped into one of four categories: Glimpses Into Communities, the Environment, Autobiographical/Personal, and Coming to Terms with the Past. Within each category, there are issues that are specific to just the South and issues that are specific to humankind and society as a whole.

Mead said there will be two series of interactive cluster maps available on iPads to support the exhibition so that visitors to the museum can actually interact with the parts of the South they’re seeing in photograph.

“One of the maps is organized by the ‘Southbound’ project, and they took a series of census results and all sorts of other demographics and government status demographics, and you can play with this map and see how, geographically, that changes what the South is based upon different terms, even stereotypes, like the word ‘magnolia’ or how many churches there are. One is even chickens per capita, so there’s kind of a humorous idea [behind the maps],” Mead said.

One of the other key ideas behind the “Southbound” project is the way in which the South is a

The ‘Southbound’ project sheds light on modern viewpoints which allow people to make sense of the culture, history, and geography of the South.” “

place infused with stereotypes and preconceived notions and ideas about how it’s supposed to be. However, the South is a vastly different place than those stereotypes and preconceived notions make it out to be. The “Southbound” project sheds light on modern viewpoints which allow people to make sense of the culture, history, and geography of the South and how that history has both influenced and changed who and what the South is today in the 21st century.

“The project just has this really, really great theme. And it’s approaching a lot of things that I think our community is concerned with, like history in the past and things related to immigration, race, religion, music, food, environment. And, again, it’s just sort of looking at the South as a whole, but some of these things are specific to Chattanooga as well,”

Mead said.

While it would be impossible to capture the breadth of exactly what the South is in a series of even 550 photographs, the “Southbound” project strives to give a multifaceted view of different aspects of the New South. The project shows moments in the modern-day history of the New South and, with those captured moments, the project sheds light on the different cultures and traditions and ways of life that make the South what it is. Those moments also show not only where the South has come from but where the South is going too.

The Hunter Museum’s exhibition of “Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South” opened Friday, January 31st, and will be on display until April 26th, 2020. In addition to the variety of programming related to the exhibition, the social media push, and the interactive maps, there are also many supporting resources on the “Southbound” project’s website, southboundproject.org, that explain even more about the project and its inspiration.

The “Southbound” project is a truly unique project that showcases diversity and defies stereotypes about the South to show a place that is steeped in tradition but also constantly changing.

If you want to learn more about the variety of life found in the South and how the South is such a vastly different place from region to region, then you definitely don’t want to miss the exhibition at the Hunter Museum of American Art.

Love Yourself Without Losing Yourself

Become a complete individual to become a better couple

Dr. Rick Pulse columnist

Whether flying solo or with a significant other, time and energy spent thinking, journaling, and talking about the health of this time in your life is never energy wasted.” “

Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, author, minister, and educator in private practice in Chattanooga. Contact him at DrRPH.com, visit his wellness center at WellNestChattanooga.com

IT’S CHOCOLATE, FLOWERS, TICKETS to the theater and romantic-getaway month, the month that has us paying at least some attention to that mischievous muse, Cupid. With St. Valentine’s Day being right around the corner, it’s perhaps a perfect time to discuss how to keep your relationship not only healthy but thriving. A relationship in which you desire longevity, and even more importantly, longevity with happiness.

Maybe you’re married with kids, doing the family thing. Or maybe you’re on the doorstep of a new love, enjoying the butterflies and the half-full-glass outlook on life. Maybe the kids have gone on with diverse adventures and the nest is empty. Or perhaps something in between all that.

If you can relate to any of the above, then I encourage you and your partner to pause and reflect on the quality of your relationship (your “happiness quotient”), and where there is room for healthy/passionate/affirming improvement. Try to observe, as if with a third eye, the direction your union is taking, the satisfaction of being together, and the safety—or “guardianship”—of your important moments, both big and small.

Let’s acknowledge, however, that many people are not in a committed relationship, either by circumstance or choice. Nor does everyone wish to be in such a relationship. I often tell my patients there are certain issues which you can best address and process when you’re single, without the distractions of a relationship. And certain other issues that require the context of a significant union in order to work on them, to practice and hone your skills. For this reason, whether flying solo or with a significant other, time and energy spent thinking, journaling, and talking about the health of this time in your life is never energy wasted.

If we take the view that one of the most precious forms of love is all about union—finding your soulmate and nurturing that commitment—then a valuable question enters the picture, one most of us confront from time to time: How do we maintain our individuality and autonomy within that merging?

I invite you to spend time with the following perspectives. Ponder, meditate, write and talk about these then observe what happens to the quality of your life. 1. Be willing to show up fully with all of yourself. If you start holding back, then your relationship might be “safe,” but holding back can also kill passion, creativity and spontaneity. If you want these qualities in your relationship, cultivate the courage to feel everything, even the difficult stuff, while being kind and nonshaming with each other.

2. Identify and honor your own needs. If you can identify your wants and your needs—as well as create room for your partner to do the same—then together you can grow in a safe and empathic space. Loving communication is the goal.

3. Think of your relationship not like a stagnant object, but like an evolving practice—such as yoga or going to

the gym—and realize that some days are much harder than others. You go through cycles, you slowly improve…it’s a process. Even with stumblings and setbacks, it’s important to feel that you’re growing together.

4. Realize that you don’t have all the answers. You have your experience of the world, and your partner has theirs. You have your own perspectives and opinions. If you’re more interested in learning each other’s viewpoints than in winning, you will create greater and greater intimacy.

5. I invite you to ask yourselves the following: Do we believe that putting our relationship first is the best way to care for everyone else? Do we believe in shared authority, so that we may create a safe and creative space in decision-making throughout life’s challenges? Do we believe in protecting each other, not only with strength but also with compassion? This St. Valentine’s I wish you all the happiness, passion, creativity and understanding (and all the chocolate and romantic getaways) you want for your own relationships.

Until next time, from “How to Love” by Thich Nhat Hanh: “Every one of us is trying to find our true home. Our true home is inside, but it’s also in our loved ones.”