What does it mean to be a Southern artist? In this globalized, interconnected world, does it even make sense to think in terms of regions and origins? On view now in Lake City, South Carolina, through December 3, Southern Voices/Global Visions suggests that we view artists and their locales through multiple lenses.
There is, on one hand, the mythical South described by William Faulkner as a “make believe region of swords, magnolias and mockingbirds.” And on the other hand, a South shaped by the tensions between an unsettled past and a present reality that encompasses profound changes wrought by urbanization, technological innovation, globalism, and climate change.
There are artists who are native to the South and artists who have settled here from all parts of the country and the globe. There are artists who seek universality within the particulars of the Southern experience and artists who bring currents from the larger world into a Southern context. The artists in this exhibition give voice to all these complexities. Whatever their origin, all currently reside or have resided in the South. Together, they represent 13 Southern states and myriad states of mind.
Explore five themes as you make your way through four locations around downtown Lake City, South Carolina: Global Views of Home in Jones-Carter Gallery, Sounding Off: Southern Present and Mythically Speaking: Southern Past in TRAX Visual Art Center, Digging Deeper: Personal Identity in Crossroads Gallery, and Points of Intersection in The ROB. All spaces are open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm and admission is free.
To learn more, visit southernvoicesglobalvisions.com.
Southern Voices/Global Visions is presented through a partnership between South Arts and ArtFields with special support provided by JP Morgan and Grace Outdoor Advertising.
