BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is welcoming a new exhibit that celebrates 100 years of southern Black culture through a mix of sculpture, paintings, works on paper, assemblage, textiles and music.
The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse, on display March 12 through July 25, uses visual art, material objects, and sound to explore how Black culture has shaped and influenced the South and U.S. culture over time and geography.
The multidisciplinary exhibition, organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, features many well-known and immersive works that aim to provoke an understanding of the African American South and its imprint on the history of American art. The three common themes throughout the exhibit are:
- Landscape- presenting the transformation of the southern region from a site of trauma and labor to a wellspring of life
- Sinners and Saints- exploring religion, spirituality and belief systems
- Black Corporality- illustrating the Black body as a repository of tradition and knowledge
The exhibit begins with a video playing at the entrance, which features Northwest Arkansas community members reflecting on what the "Dirty South" means to them.
The Dirty South exhibits visual portion will feature intergenerational visual artists. The material culture of the dirty South is represented through various textiles, fabrics, and objects prevalent in southern Black culture. The evolution of musical forms in materiality is also displayed emerges through a colossal Cabinet of Wonders featuring costumes, instruments, and accessories from music history used and worn by artists. The exhibit also includes a Slow, Loud, And Bangin' (SLAB) car in the museum's south lobby and an interactive touch table position highlighting four key artworks spotlighting material culture.
In addition to visual art, the exhibit explores the evolution of various music genres over the past century and how they are connected. The exhibit's genres include spirituals and gospel music, jazz, rhythm and blues, soul and funk, and southern hip-hop, a genre that gave new meaning to the term "Dirty South."
To enhance the experience, visitors can access The Music of the South, a six sampler playlist that highlights music from prominent cities across the southern United States, including :
- Atlanta
- Hampton Roads, Va.
- Houston
- Memphis
- Miami
- New Orleans.
Crystal Bridges is hosting a multi-day celebration of The Dirty South July 15-17, bringing together hip-hop artists, poets, scholars and curators to express and reflect on the history and influences behind Black culture. Live concerts over the weekend will feature performances by celebrated artists, which will be announced at a later date at both the Momentary and Crystal Bridges.
Tickets to the exhibition are $12 for adults and can be purchased online. Entry is free to members, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), participants, veterans and youth 18 and under.
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