About a year ago I wrote a blog about Southern Memories: Part One. Now I am knee deep in preparations for Southern Memories: Part Two. Part One was about places -- indoors and out. Southern Memories Part Two: The People is the second exhibition curated by John A. Bennette at The Whiskey Bonding Barn in Molena, Georgia as a part of SlowExposures 2011. The show will consist of a selection of portraits taken in the region by local and national artists. The community will also be invited to participate in this exhibition with a wall of historical images and snapshots provided by members of the community, with their notes and stories about life in the area and their families.
I am inviting all who read this blog -- if you live in the south -- to contribute to the wall of images. Please make an inexpensive copy of any old family photo. You may simply place a photo in a copy machine and create a copy for this show. I printed one on plain printer paper from a digital file. On the piece of paper you copy or print on, please write who is in the photo, where it was taken, and any other information about the family or photo. If you live in the area -- please drop off these family memories at A Novel Experience in Zebulon. If you do not live in the area -- email me for instructions on how to mail it in.
For a long time I have been restoring old family photos using Photoshop Elements -- this blog post showing the changes to a photo of my great grandfather is a good example of an old family portrait and what may be needed to help preserve it for future generations. I have given talks at The National Archives Southeast on this subject. The old photos I have are safely stored in protective sleeves in archival albums. The only old photos I use for display purposes are copies that I printed out myself. The digital files are also safe -- in case I, or someone else, would like a copy. As many long time readers know -- my Christmas tree is decorated with old family photos -- portraits of family and old homeplaces. I am hoping to put together a small handout for this exhibit with tips on how to preserve old photos. Time is precious these days -- I have a lot going on -- more about that on future blogs -- but preserving old family photos is important.
Artists participating in Southern Memories this year are:
Dave Anderson
Paul Conlan
Malgorzata Florkowska
Gary Gruby
Jessica Hines
Sarah Hoskins
Jane Robbins Kerr
Joanna Knox
Kendall Messick
Donna Rosser
Jerry Siegel
Marilyn Suriani
Jo Lynn Still
Hai Zhang
Opening reception is September 16 from 5pm to 7pm at the Whiskey Bonding Barn
