This nationally travelling multimedia exhibition reveals life in northeast Mississippi based on the photography of O.N. Pruitt. From 1915-1960, Pruitt, a white man in a racially segregated society, recorded community celebrations as well as troubling violence. His images depict the joys and sorrows of everyday people—both black and white—in his hometown of Columbus, locally nicknamed Possum Town.
Partially funded by the National Endowment for Humanities and organized by MU Journalism School faculty member Berkley Hudson, the exhibition will feature music, video, silent films, oral histories, a mobile app and interactive website. Related events, symposia and an educational curriculum guide will engage viewers in exploring themes of racial segregation, spiritual life and traditions of that era and their relevance today. A companion book from UNC Press will accompany the exhibit.
Please join two MacArthur Geniuses—Deborah Willis and Bryan Stevenson—along with former NEH Chairman William Ferris, in supporting this multi-initiative project.
WATCH THIS VIDEO about a remarkable "national treasure" —as outlined by professors Berkley Hudson, Mizzou; Stephanie Shonekan, Mizzou; Tom Rankin, Duke University, and William Ferris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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