DEPART-MENT Spring 23 Opening Reception

Attention Small Center friends, supporters, and collaborators! Mark your calendars to join us February 9th, from 6-9pm, for the opening reception of our Spring 2023 exhibit “EXTRACTIVSM” curated by artist/filmmaker Jazmin Miller and artist/writer Anya Groner.⁠
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For the past two years Miller and Groner have been documenting the history of Cancer Alley, an 85-mile stretch of land along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans which contains over 150 petrochemical plants and refineries.⁠
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Miller’s forthcoming documentary film, Jonesland, tells the story of her family’s history in this region — from chattel slavery, to land ownership, to the current onslaught of petrochemical refining and manufacturing. Scenes from the film and artifacts from the family bring viewers onto the land where, for more than a century, the Jones family has raised generations of children — finding joy and spirituality even as their very existence is regularly threatened. ⁠
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Groner is a reporter-producer for Monument Lab’s forthcoming podcast Plot of Land and a freelance writer for The Atlantic. Her journalism documents the consequences of centuries of extraction along the Mississippi River — click here to read one of her pieces. Throughout the exhibit, visitors will be able to listen to segments from the forthcoming podcast, which chronicles Miller’s journey as she uncovers her family’s history and reconsiders their future.⁠
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Thanks to our friends at Trapolin-Peer Architects for supporting DEPART-MENT, our public programs and exhibition work.