Browse Exhibits (4 total)

In Fall 2023 we read Soniah Kamal's Georgia Review essay, "Writing the Immigrant Southern in the New New South," in which the author treats kudzu as a representation of the migrant experience in the US South. Taking inspiration from Kamal, the collective discussed how migration has changed the physical, cultural, economic, and political character of the South across time, much like Kudzu has. Migrants, like kudzu, have established communities (or roots), and in the process stitched the South together to form diverse cultures.

Thinking with kudzu as a metaphor for the migrant experience in the US South, our collective asked: how have different migrations and movements shaped the South? What does it mean to be southern? What is the importance of place in the making and understanding of identity? 

The resilience that migrants have shown in adapting to new environments. Like kudzu, migrants have often been classified as invasive and harmful to what is "native." Yet their lasting benefits to the Southern economy, culture, and history are undeniable and need to be highlighted. Our cohort's projects illustrate the multitude of interactions, pressures, obstacles, and experiences that inform what it means to be a migrant or a descendant of migrants in the U.S. South. 

A found poem on kudzu. Collaboratively written by the Fall 2023 cohort.

Emory University prides itself on being a highly diverse and prestigious university but all too often, it fails to support and represent that very diversity it claims to care for. This artwork aims to dive deeper into students' feelings of belonging and understanding Emory's student diversity from a more personal angle. Beyond background, home states and countries, race, or gender, diversity comes from self-identity, family, and community.