A Long Arc: Exhibition Activities

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION​

Explore photography of and about the South, as well as that region’s central role in shaping American identity and its critical impact on the development of photography. You’ll see photographs that capture lives of the everyday person as well as ordinary places but when seen together they show us how the South has had a great impact on our country’s history and identity.  ​

Para obtener una versión en español de este recurso Actividades para familias y niños relacionadas con la exposición.

Fast Facts!

• There are 211 photographs in this exhibition.​
• The earliest work was created in 1845 and the latest in 2021.​
• Photographs were taken in the Southern United States including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia​.

That’s a lot to see! Use this guide to find key works throughout the galleries that explore the South through photography.

ACTIVITIES FOR EXPLORING THE EXHIBITION​

Search through the exhibition to find six selected images of the South. The cards below appear in the same order you will come across them in the galleries, so keep your eyes open.  When you find a work, tap the card to flip it–on the back you’ll find more information about the artwork and a question or activity to help you explore further. ​

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Can you spot two people lounging along the riverbanks? Does this look like a place you would like to explore? What do you think you would find here?

Florida. Tomoka River. The King's Ferry
by William Henry Jackson

William Henry Jackson took this photo but wasn't only a photographer! He was a painter and explorer who took pictures of his travels across America and turned them into postcards.

Have you gotten a postcard before? Who was it from and where did it come from?

Imagine walking down this street. What would you see? What would you hear? Could this be a street you recognize?

View of Main Street, Richmond, Virginia
by William Pratt

This is right down the street from where you are right now! This is a view of Main Street in Richmond but from over 160 years ago.​

Is there a place you wish you could see in the past? Where is it? What time period would you like to see? How do you imagine it would look?​

What could everyone be looking for in this picture? A bird, a plane... something else?

Apollo 11 Moon Shot, Cape Kennedy, Florida
by Garry Winogrand

Garry Winogrand, the photographer of this image, saw something important in history—the lift off of the Apollo 11 rocket in Florida in 1969. Four days after this picture was taken, an astronaut walked on the moon for the first time!

Can you think of a memorable event that you have seen? Who was with you at this event?

Imagine joining this group of people walking under a cloudy sky. Where would you join the group? In the front leading the group? At the end, or somewhere in the middle?

Selma to Montgomery March, Alabama, 1965
by James Karales

This group of people were walking from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama—a distance of 54 miles! James Karales took this photograph during an important time in our country's history known as the Civil Rights Movement when people were fighting for equal rights for all.​

Can you think of a time you have stood up for what is right or to make things fair? How did you show your support?​

Take a moment to look. Can you find something hiding in this picture that doesn't belong in a forest?

Southwest Virginia
by Mike Smith

Did you find the green car? This car is almost completely covered with a fast-spreading plant called kudzu which grows all over the South.

Mike Smith took this photograph in Southwest Virginia. Why do you think the car might have been left there? Can you think of a time that you have found something that didn't belong where you discovered it?

It's a picture of a... picture! How do you think the artist took this photograph? Can you pose as if you are the artist?

iHome
by RaMell Ross

The artist of this image, RaMell Ross, chose to take a picture of a house that was built almost 200 years ago but with a very new camera. Phones didn't always have cameras, but they are very common today. He titled the work iHome, a combination of the home in the picture but also the tool, an iPhone, being used to take the photo. If you could take a picture of anything, what would it be?

After Your Visit to the Exhibition…

• Take a break. Sit in the museum’s sculpture garden or café to share a snack and think about the art you have seen today. Take time to reflect on what you noticed, felt, or thought and share your reflections with someone you came with or write down your own thoughts.   ​
• Find more photographs on view on the third floor of the museum in the exhibition Home/Grown: Photographs by Susan Worsham and Brian Palmer​
• Visit the Interactive Family Lounge on Level 1.  ​
• Feeling inspired? Learn how to take a photograph on LEARN.

Images (in order they appear on the page)

Selma to Montgomery March, Alabama, 1965, 1965, James Karales (American 1930-2002), gelatin silver print. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, National Endowment for the Arts Fund for American Art, 2013.233​

Florida. Tomoka River. The King’s Ferry, 1898, William Henry Jackson (American, 1843–1942), photochrom. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of an Anonymous Donor, 2014.159​

View of Main Street, Richmond, Virginia, 1847-1851, William Abott Pratt, half-plate daguerreotype. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Floyd D. and Anne C. Gottwald Fund, 2023.53​

Cape Kennedy, Florida, 1969, Garry Winogrand (American, 1928-1984), gelatin silver print. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Gift of an Anonymous Donor, 82.201.1 ​

Southwest Virginia (Card overgrown with Kudzu), 2002, Mike Smith (American, born 1951), Chromogenic print. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, 2007.35​

iHome, 2012, RaMell Ross (American, born 1982), inkjet print. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Endowment, 2024.17 © RaMell Ross