The River Calling: Storytelling in Memphis and the Mississippi Delta

In the American South, storytelling can be a loose form of narration, delivered with a drawl, thick with regional dialect, serving as a distinct sign of place. Tales shaped by personal interpretations can lead to numerous roundabout stories, in which what is omitted is often just as important as what is said. This meandering ebb and flow of oral storytelling in the South has kept certain regional histories, folklore, and memories alive.

The River Calling explores these narratives and anecdotes as they are reflected visually in a variety of mediums. Created from the 1940s through the present, these works were made by artists with deep ties to the Mississippi Delta or by those influenced by their experiences here. Altogether, the exhibition considers how the visual formats of Southern storytelling can reexamine the region’s vast complexities through a recounting of personal experiences, historical events, folklore, and music. From biblical tales and family lore to retellings of Greek mythology, the works presented in this gallery highlight the ever-changing narratives of the American South.

The River Calling: Storytelling in Memphis and the Mississippi Delta is curated by Kristin Pedrozo, Art Bridges Curatorial Fellow.

All exhibitions at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art are underwritten by the MBMA Exhibition Fund: Lead support provided by Kay Clark, and Maggie and Milton Lovell, with additional funding from Anonymous, Irene and Ron Ayotte, Gloria and Kenneth Boyland, Deborah and Bob Craddock, Susan and James Edelman, Debi and Galen Havner, Sally Hergenrader, James R. Humphreys, Betty and George Johnson, Kristen and Jay Keegan, Valerie and Carl Person, Deborah D. Tipton, Bill Townsend, and the Doris S. and Hubert Kiersky Charitable Remainder Trust.