Hamlett Dobbins, artist and director of Material Art Space.

Artist Anthony Lee and Pinkney Herbert, artist and director of Marshall Arts.

Charles and Keirstin, one of the resident artists of Marshall Arts.

Charles and John Weeden of CODA.

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Birmingham to Memphis – the church again

We finally got properly off road on the two-day journey from Alabama to Tennessee. This gave us a chance to test out the church as public space theory and it seems to hold good. Especially in Mississippi, which was in many ways the place that exhibited the most “otherness” of the places we have been. In Memphis, I spoke to the artist Greely Myatt about this. His work can be seen elsewhere here. He is from Mississippi originally and his work has much to do with the place. He agreed, but saw an alternative in the Juke Joint – mostly African American rural bars where at least the men could gather. But still the need for companionship translated into ideological harshness through the fundamental Christian tradition makes more sense, or at least elicits more understanding from me, than I could have suspected. The sadness is the inability of progressives to organise any workable alternatives, even within a religious framework perhaps. It says something about the dangers of writing off parts of a population to backwardness….something that I am beginning to think happened as much in the USA in the early 20th century as in the world in the early 21st.

In the exhibition, the way to reflect this so far seems to be through the work of those religious outsider/self-taught artists. Without resorting the kitsch…a tricky balance in a society like the Dutch that basically rejects the decorative in culture…..(think the general reception of Lily van der Stokker’s work).

Tupelo, Mississippi.

A great moment in the Elvis birthplace museum. The guide, sitting on a stool by the reconstructed bed tells how Elvis gifted USD100,000 a year to Tupelo City Council to build a park around his birthplace in 1957. He came back in 1969 and the council had done virtually nothing. The gift stopped, but the park is now there. As she said…in 1957 they probably thought Elvis was just a flash in the pan. Now, the city’s tourist industry is built around him.

Memphis/Glasgow

On to Memphis, and meeting straight away with a whole group of artists in Marshall Arts. The atmosphere and the welcome was great….Throughout the two days in Memphis it reminded more and more of Glasgow in the mid-1990s. An artist community, energy, things happening in odd corners…..images to follow, thanks so much to everyone there.

Dr Martin Luther King/Civil Rights/Race

For later….have to go to Contemporary Arts Museum, Saint Louis….but the ghost of the King assassination lies heavy on Memphis for sure…

We are heading towards St. Louis today. Finally crossing our “red spine” the Mississippi river. After an impressive two days stay in Memphis. The city where “Dr. King” got shot…

We had various opportunities to meet up with artists, artist communities and officials. Thank you Eric from GONER RECORDS for giving us a short introduction into the local punk and music scene down here. However last night we were able to share some moments in the “Lamplighter” the oldest bar in town with the sweetest female bar tender and the most ancient entertaining jukebox.

Take me out to the Ball Game

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks
I don’t care if I ever get back
And it’s root, root, root
for the home team
If they don’t win, it’s a shame
Cause it’s one, two, three strikes
You’re out
At the old ball game.

It would have been irresponsible of me not to take my two European travel companions to a baseball game.

They seemed to enjoy the experience, even if they didn’t quite grasp the difference between a H, a R, an E, a HR, a RBI, etc…