Ernest C. Withers at Brooks Gallery

Yay!! We completed one our first outing today! I was so pleased to see all of you at the gallery this afternoon. I hope you enjoyed the opportunity to view Mr. Withers' photography. I am eager to hear your reactions to your experience today.

    Ernest C. Withers' "I Am a Man" featured at this site.


Also, just a note, you will not have to report on your "Memphis Figure" until after we watch the film Tuesday night. I wanted to wait until we had covered a bit more concerning African American History Month. The film is located here.

So, please, share with me any thoughts you'd like about the exhibit: which photograph did you find most interesting or compelling--or moving? And, think too about the role of the photographer, the risks he must have taken in order to get some of those shots. Finally, how does Withers' photographic oeuvre convey the socio-political climate of the day?

If you have trouble posting, you may email your remarks to jllester@southwest.tn.edu, and I will post on your behalf--but let's see what might be the issue there so that all can post without problems.

I look forward to reading your commentary--and to seeing you again Tuesday night!

Calling for Proposals...

pro·pos·al

prəˈpōzəl/

noun

plural noun: proposals

1. 1.

   a plan or suggestion, especially a formal or written one, put forward for consideration or discussion by others.

   "a set of proposals for a major new high-speed rail link"

   synonyms:

   plan, idea, scheme, project, program, manifesto, motion, proposition, suggestion, action point, submission, trial balloon "the proposal was rejected"
2. 2.

   an offer of marriage.

Students, so sorry for the late post. I hope you all have at least been giving some thought to possible topics for your Memphis, City as Text, semester-long project. Bear in mind that you do not have to have it set in stone this instant, but by February 6th when the proposal is due, you should have formulated a general sense of what you would like to do.

The proposal (for which specifications will come to you via email), should be about a page to a page and a half long, discussing a topic of interest to you that relates to Memphis. Some sort of research question should be taking shape, together with one or two possible answers to that question. As in, how did Memphis become a key site for distribution? It's geographic location says a lot about how the city evolved as a central distribution locale. Or, in what ways did the Memphis music scene bring together white and black musicians during the Civil Rights struggle? One answer might be the Stax Records Company opened its doors to artists of all backgrounds, and created a haven for musical expression. Just some thoughts.

For now, tell me what interests you. Are you drawn to Memphis's cultural history in any way? Memphis business? The geographical diversity of Memphis? Map out some ideas. This is an opportunity for me to hear your thoughts and help you along as you formulate your project goals.

Welcome!

Hello, students, and welcome to your blog! I created this online companion to our class two years ago when I taught HONR 1110 for the first time, and discovered that it was a useful and fun way of communicating with students. Here I will make a post each week that covers our tours and activities, and you will comment below. This is a public blog, so if you have difficulty posting responses, or some other issue, do let me know and I will try my best to fix it.

In the meantime, I hope you will take a minute to nose around and see some of the past posts I've made to get a sense of what to expect. While in the past I have depended on students' written responses alone, this year I also encourage you to post photos that you have taken while on one of our tours. As photography is one of my passions, I enjoy taking pictures around town, and sharing them online. Below are some of the photos I've taken of Memphis most recently.

Again, welcome to our blog, welcome to the course, and here's looking to a wonderful semester! We will be going on several tours this semester of Elmwood Cemetery--the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, founded in the 1850s; we will visit Victorian Village, and learn about how life was for some of Memphis's earliest (and wealthiest) citizens; we will visit Sun Studios, Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, the South Main Arts District--as well as participate in some goings-on in the Honors Program. Once again, here's to a great semester, and I welcome you to Honors Inquiry!

Elmwood Cemetery

Emily Sutton: Another "Fallen Woman" who, at the outbreak of the Yellow Fever epidemic in 1873, changed her ways and devoted herself to helping the sick and suffering. Her epitaph reads:

"Let sweet-voiced mercy plead for her
who liest beneath the sod
May erring man not in pride usurp
the providence of her judge, her God."


Hello, Class. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to share Elmwood Cemetery with you all. I hope it was an informative and enriching experience for you. I suppose I, like many other visitors to Elmwood, have my favorite aspect of the place, and that is certainly the angel statuary, and the Victorian's predilection for symbols. As promised, this is your opportunity to share with me and the rest of our class your thoughts on historic Elmwood. What did you discover that you didn't know? What stood out to you most prominently? Do share! Below are some photos I have taken of Elmwood over the years. If you like, feel free to share your own in your post!

The headstone belonging to Alice Mitchell, the young woman who murdered her friend, Freda Ward.

The crouching angel who presides over one of the family plots near the chapel.

Detail of an angel statuary on one of the headstones.

Sun Studios!

Hello, All. I hope this blog post finds everyone well. I am glad to be on the mend after an unexpected stint in the hospital, and though I could not have foreseen such an ordeal, I am very sorry that it has placed a stop-gap in the way. But, we are back on schedule this week. This last weekend, you were to have visited Sun Studios. I am anxious to hear about what you learned, what impressed you, and what (if anything) left you seeing Memphis in a new or refreshed light. To help shape and direct our conversation, I would like to you begin your thread by naming some of the top performers who started their career with Sun. Some are obvious, like our Million Dollar Quartet, while some aren't. Who are they? Also, did any surprises pop up? Were there any famous names who have recorded at Sun recently? Any gossip?

Do tell, do share, do take about 200 words. I am so eager to hear your thoughts and impressions. Also! As an added bit of fun, if you have photos you might like to share with the class, by all means, let me know and I will upload them in the post, or feel free to upload them into your comments.

Expect an email from me by tomorrow afternoon: we will pick a time to gather and talk about your projects and their progress as well as the events coming up this week. Check the syllabus for the visiting poet that is happening very soon, as well as Honors Day Convocation on April 4th at 3 PM, Nabors Auditorium. All are expected to be there, even if you cannot stay the full time.

Trek II: The National Civil Rights Museum

One of the most important reminders of Memphis' difficult racial history is the Lorraine Motel, now transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum distills the last moments of Dr. King's life as he had heeded the call of duty in the South during the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike. In it we bear witness to the history of struggle faced by hundreds of thousands of African Americans in the U.S. who fought--and in some cases, died--for the cause of human rights.

As we visit the NCRM, think about the ways the site brings us in touch with the past, through sight, touch, sound, and emotion. What exhibits impact you the most and why? Are there some that are difficult to confront? And finally, has the growth and success of the museum helped to remind us of those who fought in the Civil Rights struggles of the past? Has it made us more aware of history? Do we take it for granted?

Our First Trek: The Woodruff-Fontaine House!

By now I hope that most--if not all of you--have had an opportunity to visit and tour Memphis's beautiful Woodruff-Fontaine house and museum, built in 1871. I was so delighted to share this tour with Carter, Preston, Bonnie, Theresa, Anna, and Micaela, along with a lovely couple from North Dakota! I am very eager to hear your thoughts, reflections, and insights about your experience there, and, if I may, to share my own impressions of this beautiful home.

This was my second tour of Woodruff-Fontaine, though I have visited it twice before as a photographer and as a wedding guest. I am always taken aback at the beauty of the place, how well-maintained it is, and the sheer grandeur of the structure itself. Particularly striking to me is the way architecture and interior design reflects not only the personalities and tastes of the people who lived there, but the social mores of the time.

The Victorians were a culture steeped in social signifiers--symbols and gestures, social customs and behaviors that were used to imply meaning rather than to express direct meaning. For instance, the "Language of the Fan," was explained in one small installation on a table in the main parlor. Women would gesture with their (often beautifully adorned) fans to communicate to their suitors. One gesture meant "Kiss me" while the other indicated "I'm engaged," and so on. Calling cards (like modern business cards) would subtly indicate to the mistress of the house the intent of a visitor. If he was welcome, he'd be seated in a soft, comfortable chair in the foyer; if not, he would be relegated to a stiff, hard-back chair opposite the soft one. This way, he was subtly--but emphatically--made aware of his host's opinion of him.

Placards explain the social conventions of the fan and the calling card:

So now I'd like to hear from you. Please respond with some of your initial impressions of the home and of the tour, and think a bit about what the home and its contents tell us about Victorian Memphis. Were they merely representatives of a cultural age? Or, was there something distinctly Memphian about their lives? What might be said about the gender expectations of the time? How might gender roles be reflected within the contents of the home?

Just some food for thought.

I snapped the photo above in 2013, hopeful to give justice to Woodruff-Fontaine's height and elegance.

If you have checked your syllabus, you know that we are scheduled to meet on Macon Campus this Tuesday evening (2/21). We will discuss upcoming assignments as well as discuss quizzes. I hope to see all of you, and if you cannot be present, you need to contact me ASAP.

Another word on the smART auction: Doug and I continue to need your support in collecting artwork. Please file that in your mind this week. On the evening of the event, you will be asked to be there early to help Mr. Branch and I set up. See you soon!