Art Around Georgia

Our friend the photographer Jerry Siegel sent along a press release from the Columbus Museum regarding the exhibition "Now and Then: Snapshots of the South." The exhibition juxtaposes historic and contemporary images addressing a variety of enduring aspects of everyday life in the South, including images that speak to Southerners' longstanding connections with the land and its history, religion, and the celebration of the eccentric, and evokes a unique sense of place as projected through the lens of cameras both past and present. A diverse selection of historic images will originate from the collections of the Eufaula Athenaeum, an impressive private archive of materials assembled by Eufaula native A.S. Williams. One of the largest and most important such collections in the South, the Athenaeum's holdings include thousands of items documenting a broad spectrum of people, places and events in Southern history. Contemporary images will be provided by professional photographer Jerry Siegel. An Alabama native, Siegel is currently one of the Southeast's leading photographers. He has produced several series of fine art photography that reflect his interest in the rural South's culture and landscape. While many of the images in this exhibition are especially influenced by his upbringing in central Alabama's Black Belt region, Siegel shot images for this project during his travels throughout the South. "Now and Then" opened Aug. 1 and will run through Jan. 31, 2010.

This Thursday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m., the Columbus Museum will feature a symposium that addresses various perspectives on southern life and culture as represented through the art of photography. The guest speakers will include photographer Jerry Siegel; Dr. James C. Cobb, Spaulding Distinguished Scholar from the University of Georgia; and Stephen Rowe, from the Eufaula Athenaeum. The symposium is free and open to the public and should make for an interesting evening. We know that both Jerry and Jim Cobb have tons of great stories.