01/06/2025
Explore the evolving story of the American South in A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845, on view at the through January 26.
This groundbreaking exhibition features over 200 evocative photographs spanning 175 years, capturing the region’s central role in shaping American history, culture, and the art of photography.
Organized chronologically, A Long Arc delves into pivotal themes: photography before, during, and after the Civil War; the documentary lens of the 1930s and ’40s; images of a Post–World War II South; photography as catalyst for change; reflective narrative photography of the late 20th century; and contemporary perspectives on social, environmental, and economic issues.
Don’t miss this visually rich journey through the South’s complex and layered identity. Plus, ticket holders will also receive access to American, born Hungary, an exhibition of images produced by more than 30 Hungarian-born artists.
📷 All images from
Marine, Hotel Near Airport, Richmond, Virginia, 2009, Susan Worsham (American, born 1969), pigmented inkjet print, 33 x 41 in. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Aldine S. Hartman Endowment Fund, 2017.117 © Susan Worsham
Domestic workers waiting for the bus, Atlanta, Georgia, April, 1983, Joel Sternfeld (American, born 1944), dye coupler print, 48 x 58 1/2 in. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Gift of Dr. Judy and Kevin Wolman, 2017.466 © Joel Sternfeld
Florida. Tomoka River. The King’s Ferry, 1898, William Henry Jackson (American, 1843–1942), chromolithograph, 7 x 9 in. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of an Anonymous Donor, 2014.159
The March from Selma, 1965, Matt Herron (American, 1931–2020), gelatin silver print, 7 1/2 x 13 11/16 in. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Gift of Gloria and Paul Sternberg, 1999.154.5 © Matt Herron