New MississippiS: Some situated stories on contemporary ecologies
In these times of planetary troubles, we believe that works of art and archives can help us to tell historically situated and pluralized stories about contemporary ecological issues. Using the South of the Mississippi River as an emblem of the markers of environmental problems, we consider the intersection between exploitation, ecologies, and people in two locales in the American South. This project New MississippiS is a digital and artistic reading of multiple museums’ archives and collections. In this multi-sited project, ecologies is examined in terms of its literal and symbolic meanings. The specific materials utilized include: recordings of an international cultural institution’s project along the River; readings of Southern writers Margaret Walker and Richard Wright; and selected works from collections at historically black institutions in Georgia and Mississippi.
The first public event will consist of a presentation of the overall project, its origins and its protocols, as well as the launch of the online platform on which the materials will be read and contextualised by a performer and the organisers. Assembled in a series of podcasts, these audios and its images will give a taste of the story behind the curatorial process of New Mississippis.
This event is organized by the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, Jackson State University’s Margaret Walker Center, Augusta University and the Lighthouse Company with the support of the Atlanta Office of the Cultural Services of the Embassy of France in the United States and FACE Contemporary Theater.
November 5, 12:00 p.m.
- Maurita N. Poole, Director and Chief Curator of the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum
- Clémence Hallé, researcher and writer
- Duncan Evennou, theater maker and performer
Video :
During France-Atlanta 2019, Clémence Hallé and Duncan Evennou discussed their project (NB. start at 5m03)
Additional Information :
- Anthropocene Curriculum: Mississippi. An Anthropocene River (Berlin)
- Clark Atlanta University Art Museum (Atlanta)
- Museum of African American History and Culture (Natchez)
- Mississippi Museum of Art (Jackson)
- Margaret Walker Center (Jackson)
Images: Mississippi riverbanks near Narco, Louisiana by Duncan Evennou ; Arthur Britt, Poverty Toy Chest. Clark Atlanta University Art Collection