Browse Exhibits (11 total)
A Note on Kudzu
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.
Voces de Migrantes: After the Harvest in Rural South Carolina
This experimental film employs two methods - oral history and videography - to document the lived experiences of three migrants who are connected to agricultural production in the rural U.S. South. The video unfolds as a series of one-minute shots capturing the rural landscape of Ridge Spring, South Carolina. The scenery is accompanied by three voice recordings of the oral histories as the background narration. The narratives are from a migrant farmworker, an ex-migrant farmworker, and a non-traditional clothing vendor.
In The Shadows: The Harsh Reality of Migrant Workers in the US
A short documentary video talking about the harsh working conditions of migrant workers, highlighting news stories of workers from the South, the H-2A visa program, and the lack of safety precautions and conditions in their jobs.
Health and Workplace Safety in Southern Migrant Labor
Migrants make up a large and essential part of the US southern labor force. Because of this, it is crucial to understand how migrant labor intersects with access to the healthcare system. This journalistic project highlights not only the intersection of labor and healthcare, but also the role that legal status plays in workers' lives. The piece is based on an original interview, with context offered on topics such as access to insurance and workplace conditions.
The Feeling of Power: Lost & Found
The Feeling of Power: Lost & Found explores contemporary student experiences and movements of racialized and other marginalized groups on campus. Oftentimes, we find ourselves thinking “It’s 2023, this can’t be happening,” but unfortunately our grievances and needs for change have not been fully addressed. In the form of a zine -- an artistic expression that gives life to our inner thoughts -- this project centers the experiences of Black, Latinx, and First-Generation/Low-Income students as told by students for students.
Una Pintura de Emory
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.
The Pull of Southern Industries
The Pull of Southern Industries follows migration routes from different southern-based industries: for example, poultry processing during the 1970s-1990s and of seasonal movements of migrant farmworkers throughout the agrarian south in the 1900s. This project focuses on labor-induced migration as many households and individuals who choose to migrate do so for economic betterment.
La Vaquita: A Cultural Bridge to Distant Places
"La Vaquita: A Cultural Bridge to Distant Places" is a digital infographic spotlighting La Vaquita, a flea market in Pendergrass, Georgia. La Vaquita is an important space of cultural connection and preservation in a state with a Latinx population that has often been understated and is rapidly growing. This infographic features a combination of images and contextualization and description to explore the significance of this place's overall presence to surrounding Latinx communities across Georgia.
Reproductive Justice Initiatives in Atlanta
A Profile on the Feminist Women’s Health Center and Migrant Reproductive Autonomy
Shattered Mosaic: Migrant Christian Experiences Amid Christian Nationalism
"Shattered Mosaic: Migrant Christian Experiences Amid Christian Nationalism" is a mini-documentary that began by aiming to understand migrant perspectives in the US South as Evangelicals use Christian nationalist rhetoric against immigration. This documentary sought to answer the question of, how does this influence a migrant’s Christianity and experiences? Ultimately, the documentary provides a brief excerpt on the history of immigration in the United States and current migrant attitudes towards Christianity and the United States amid a highly volatile political landscape.
Click here to watch the video.
Atlanta Landmarks of Migration
For some immigrants, Atlanta is only a passing place on the way to a final destination. For others, it becomes the city they call home or even raise their families. Either way, these passages create the constant movement that in turn forms the flowing sociocultural fabric of the international city. This mapping project highlights just a few of the many places in the city where immigrants have made space for themselves or that otherwise highlight the migrant experience. These places are physical manifestations of immigrant prescence in Atlanta, and visitors should consider both the built environment and the feeling of these structures or installations.
Many of these places are immigrant owned restaurants and markets, some of them located along Atlanta's famous Buford Highway, where visitors can try international cuisines or shop from a wider variety of groceries. Others are artistic installments, including murals, that celebrate immigration. A final place, which falls into neither of these categories, is the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. An inherently transient place, and a first point of arrival for some immigrants, the airport represents the freedom of movement and Atlanta's title as an interanational city.
Click here to explore a selection of Atlanta's landmarks of migration.