I grew up skateboarding, and know how important the community and confidence that come with alongside it are for young people. I spent 2013-2015 collecting oral histories from young skateboarders in New Orleans, archiving their words and stories so I could use my privilege as an adult to share and advocate for more safe spaces where young people can skateboard in our city. It was super awesome to sit at lunch and share my research and oral histories with the judges from the Rudy Brunner Award for Urban Excellence who have named The Small Center as a finalist. The Small Center was instrumental in providing technical and design assistance to the skateboarders who built and envisioned Parisite skatepark. Apparently this award is quite prestigious, and it was lovely to uplift the voices of young skateboarders in New Orleans East who cherish and utilize Parasite.
My collective Southerly Gold will be collaborating with the New Orleans Museum of Art this Fall for an upcoming Louisiana Landscape exhibition. We will have an installation on the ground floor, and will be spearheading some programing during the run of show. More info closer to.
After many years of collective work, the six books that comprise the landscaper project God’s Country will be released.
Please join us at Mosquito Supper Club,3824 Dryades St. February 13th 6-9pm. Food and booze provided.
Opening reception Friday, February 8th 6-10pm. Exhibition will be on show through March 3rd, weekends 12-5pm and by appointment. 4037 St. Claude Ave. Gallery info here.
“Embedded in the southern landscape are complicated narratives and dark histories, interwoven and overlapping in their themes. God’s Country: The Territory Ahead examines how landscape has the power to define identity, and how identity of place is often tied to the land itself. Over the course of five years, Southerly Gold ventured across the state of Louisiana creating a record of place, of stories stumbled upon, and a documentation of relics accessible to any wandering traveler or curious eye. The Territory Ahead is an ode to this region: to the industry and resources that are beholden to the land; to the people and places that have suffered and sacrificed in the name of prosperity; to the complex identity of place that arises in the intermingling of potential versus reality.”
My collective Southerly Gold is now a member of the artist-run gallery/ art space Good Children. More details soon, but we are so grateful to be amongst some incredible artists on GC’s roster.
So pleased to announce that a number of STEWARDS hard copies are now available in the following zine libraries: ABC No Rio Zine Library, St. Louis Public Library, Auckland Public Library (New Zealand), Austin Public Library, Denver Zine Library, Olympia Zine Library, Albuquerque Zine Library, New Orleans Public Library. More additions soon!
I’m pleased to announce my collective Southerly Gold will be showing three pieces from our series God’s Country at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s Louisiana Contemporary. Opening August 4th, on show through November 4th.
I’ll be teaching a workshop at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art for absolute beginners. More info here.
In conjunction with my oral history and portrait project STEWARDS, I will be cohosting the incredible, nomadic storytelling BYO. This month’s theme is “A Queen Within” and half of the storytellers hail from STEWARDS project. Info here.
STEWARDS is an investigation to South Louisiana women, the intentional space they create, and the intersection with healing. Book, and accompanying launch, TBD in early May.
In conjunction with the museum’s exhibitions The Colorful South and William Eggleston’s Troubled Waters, I’ll be facilitating a color photography workshop will teach participants how to make aesthetic choices to create visual themes, convey emotions, and tell stories within their images. More info here.