KEITH CALHOUN AND CHANDRA MCCORMICK
who worked on the plantation in the nineteenth
have been photographing life and labor practices at
century. As first-hand witnesses to exploitative
the Louisiana State Penitentiary for more than three
labor practices, Calhoun and McCormick
decades. The prison was once a plantation and is
are committed to bringing attention to how
known as Angola, the country of origin for many of
incarceration, which has more than quadrupled
the slaves. (Incidentally, Nashvillian Adelicia Acklen
in the United States since 1980, can fuel and abet
inherited the property from her first husband in 1845 and owned it until 1880.)1 At 18,000 acres, the
capitalism. The problem is complicated further
complex is bigger than the island of Manhattan and
largely depends on the penal system for civilian
operates as the largest maximum-security prison in the United States.2 It is also called “The Farm”
employment.
because it continues to grow cash crops—as much as four million pounds a year—using inmate labor. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits involuntary servitude, does not apply to convicted inmates. In the minds of Calhoun and McCormick, slavery never really ended at Angola.
because the economic welfare of local communities
Calhoun and McCormick’s intimate understanding of prison culture has informed their activism not only on behalf of individuals directly involved with correctional facilities, but also at home. In their New Orleans community, the husband-andwife team’s crime prevention extends to offering alternative, constructive options for at-risk youth.
Angola currently houses more than six thousand
In their hands, cameras become tools of social
male inmates; around 75 percent are African American.3 When one looks at contemporary
justice and a powerful means of connection and
photographs of black bodies in the fields, one
in the song “Angola Bound,” written by their friends
may wonder if they are descendants of those
Charles and Aaron Neville, which tells the story of
communication. Their visual messages are echoed
KEITH CALHOUN AND CHANDRA MCCORMICK
who worked on the plantation in the nineteenth
have been photographing life and labor practices at
century. As first-hand witnesses to exploitative
the Louisiana State Penitentiary for more than three
labor practices, Calhoun and McCormick
decades. The prison was once a plantation and is
are committed to bringing attention to how
known as Angola, the country of origin for many of
incarceration, which has more than quadrupled
the slaves. (Incidentally, Nashvillian Adelicia Acklen
in the United States since 1980, can fuel and abet
inherited the property from her first husband in 1845 and owned it until 1880.)1 At 18,000 acres, the
capitalism. The problem is complicated further
complex is bigger than the island of Manhattan and
largely depends on the penal system for civilian
operates as the largest maximum-security prison in the United States.2 It is also called “The Farm”
employment.
because it continues to grow cash crops—as much as four million pounds a year—using inmate labor. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits involuntary servitude, does not apply to convicted inmates. In the minds of Calhoun and McCormick, slavery never really ended at Angola.
because the economic welfare of local communities
Calhoun and McCormick’s intimate understanding of prison culture has informed their activism not only on behalf of individuals directly involved with correctional facilities, but also at home. In their New Orleans community, the husband-andwife team’s crime prevention extends to offering alternative, constructive options for at-risk youth.
Angola currently houses more than six thousand
In their hands, cameras become tools of social
male inmates; around 75 percent are African American.3 When one looks at contemporary
justice and a powerful means of connection and
photographs of black bodies in the fields, one
in the song “Angola Bound,” written by their friends
may wonder if they are descendants of those
Charles and Aaron Neville, which tells the story of
communication. Their visual messages are echoed
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how the wrong turns in life can lead a man into
McCormick recorded the departures, adding video
working harder than a mule in Angola.
documentation to their oeuvre. Resentment and
Since 1965, Angola inmates have been allowed to participate in the prison rodeo—at their own risk, of course. Patrons pay admission and often buy
the heartbreak of having lost time and freedom engender a complex set of emotions for the innocent.
arts and crafts made by inmates. The proceeds
The photographs of Calhoun and McCormick are
do not accrue fully to the prisoners, however. The
not marked by rancor or righteous indignation.
spectacle recalls how gladiators entertained the
Rather, the artists’ expressions of social protest
public in the Colosseum in ancient Rome. Those
are imbued with humility and encourage you to
fighters could be given freedom by a pleased
consider the full humanity of their subjects. In the
emperor, but Angola inmates cannot be rewarded
African American tradition of call and response,
with pardons when they deliver remarkable
they issue the call, inviting us to engage in
performances at the rodeo.
conversations about justice, bias, labor practices,
From time to time, an inmate leaves Angola, temporarily or permanently. Calhoun and McCormick have photographed inmates released to attend a family funeral. Prisoners are pictured shackled in chains, sitting or standing with their loved ones for bittersweet reunions. On two occasions, the artists have been on hand when exonerated inmates were released. Calhoun and
and the social costs of mass incarceration. Susan H. Edwards, PhD Executive Director and CEO NOTES 1. Acklen sold the property to a former Confederate major who leased inmates from the state to work the plantation. The facility officially became a state prison in 1901. 2. Jeffrey Goldberg, “The End of the Line: Rehabilitation and Reform in Angola Prison,” Atlantic, September 9, 2015, theatlantic.com. 3. Erik Eckholm, “Bible College Helps Some at Louisiana Prison Find Peace,” New York Times, October 5, 2013, nytimes.com.
how the wrong turns in life can lead a man into
McCormick recorded the departures, adding video
working harder than a mule in Angola.
documentation to their oeuvre. Resentment and
Since 1965, Angola inmates have been allowed to participate in the prison rodeo—at their own risk, of course. Patrons pay admission and often buy
the heartbreak of having lost time and freedom engender a complex set of emotions for the innocent.
arts and crafts made by inmates. The proceeds
The photographs of Calhoun and McCormick are
do not accrue fully to the prisoners, however. The
not marked by rancor or righteous indignation.
spectacle recalls how gladiators entertained the
Rather, the artists’ expressions of social protest
public in the Colosseum in ancient Rome. Those
are imbued with humility and encourage you to
fighters could be given freedom by a pleased
consider the full humanity of their subjects. In the
emperor, but Angola inmates cannot be rewarded
African American tradition of call and response,
with pardons when they deliver remarkable
they issue the call, inviting us to engage in
performances at the rodeo.
conversations about justice, bias, labor practices,
From time to time, an inmate leaves Angola, temporarily or permanently. Calhoun and McCormick have photographed inmates released to attend a family funeral. Prisoners are pictured shackled in chains, sitting or standing with their loved ones for bittersweet reunions. On two occasions, the artists have been on hand when exonerated inmates were released. Calhoun and
and the social costs of mass incarceration. Susan H. Edwards, PhD Executive Director and CEO NOTES 1. Acklen sold the property to a former Confederate major who leased inmates from the state to work the plantation. The facility officially became a state prison in 1901. 2. Jeffrey Goldberg, “The End of the Line: Rehabilitation and Reform in Angola Prison,” Atlantic, September 9, 2015, theatlantic.com. 3. Erik Eckholm, “Bible College Helps Some at Louisiana Prison Find Peace,” New York Times, October 5, 2013, nytimes.com.
“I hope you appreciate the magnitude of Abe’s Garden. This is a tremendous contribution to [the geriatrics and Alzheimer’s disease] field.”
“The access to the courtyard [is] superior. Abe’s Garden appears to have succeeded in its goal to be a model for future memory care communities.”
– Dr. David Satcher, Former Surgeon General and Alzheimer’s caregiver
– Jeff Anderzhon, FAIA, judge SHN Design Awards
615.908.2066 115 Woodmont Blvd. | Nashville, TN 37205 www.abesgarden.org | jgiven@abesgarden.org @abesgarden
Abe’s Garden® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
GORDON CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS PROJECT GALLERY February 23–May 28, 2018 Organized by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts Supported in part by the Friends of Contemporary Art and
The Frist Center is pleased to announce the publication of
LOUISIANA MEDLEY: PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEITH CALHOUN AND CHANDRA MCCORMICK in conjunction with this exhibition.
Connect with us!
#FristAngola Downtown Nashville 919 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203 fristcenter.org
Above: Chandra McCormick. YOUNG MAN, ANGOLA STATE PENITENTIARY, 2013. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist. © Chandra McCormick Front: Keith Calhoun. WHO’S THAT MAN ON THAT HORSE, I DON’T KNOW HIS NAME, BUT THEY ALL CALL HIM BOSS, 1980. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist. © Keith Calhoun
GORDON CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS PROJECT GALLERY February 23–May 28, 2018 Organized by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts Supported in part by the Friends of Contemporary Art and
The Frist Center is pleased to announce the publication of
LOUISIANA MEDLEY: PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEITH CALHOUN AND CHANDRA MCCORMICK in conjunction with this exhibition.
Connect with us!
#FristAngola Downtown Nashville 919 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203 fristcenter.org
Above: Chandra McCormick. YOUNG MAN, ANGOLA STATE PENITENTIARY, 2013. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist. © Chandra McCormick Front: Keith Calhoun. WHO’S THAT MAN ON THAT HORSE, I DON’T KNOW HIS NAME, BUT THEY ALL CALL HIM BOSS, 1980. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist. © Keith Calhoun
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