Arts Thread

"In Pursuit of Warmth", explores the idealism of historical preservation in Natchez,Mississippi. - I hated natchez as a kid. I hated that I had no cell service, and that all I could do was go to the library, rodeos, Sunday school, or ride 3 minutes to Louisianne to buy my grandpa’s lotto tickets. I hated that I always brought back her dirt on my shoes. I hated that i had better luck finding out my great great great grandmother’s name in our African-American slavery museum, than the over grown cemeteries. I hated shucking peas until my fingers were purple, i hated watching tourists take pictures in front of our magnolia trees, not even pausing to guess who fertilized them. Since the passing of my grandmother, I’ve been going back more and more . And I can’t believe it took me so long to see all that was in front of me. Our community has a love unlike I’ve ever seen. One that can only be born out of perseverance. My grandmother was the town teacher, loved by all, and feared by all too. She taught us to write down everything, to document our stories so that we can never be told who we are, and who we aren’t, but so that we would already know ,and our kids would know ,and their kids would know. my cousin van who you see pictured on his porch, is a renowned cook, and owns the entire 3 lot property. Him and his father Alvin, who lives in another home next-door , grow their own food. That is wealth. preservation is wealth. Preserving all religious spaces so that we have the choice and freedom to our own faith. Preserving our names. Preserving our trees and our homes. Pictures and recipes. Journals and birthday cards. Even in a town like Natchez, it is far better to know all that has been done, so that It may never be repeated. As a dedication to my grandmother and the sacrifices she’s made for our family. I’ve made a commitment to document our stories and share them with the world. I made a commitment to educate myself. And I made a commitment to you, to never stop letting you know there’s still warmth in this world , especially where you least expect.

Curator's cuts from my project "In Pursuit Of Warmth" . Shot on Sony ZV-E10. Images taken of my grandmothers china cabinet. She instilled values of preservation in our family every day until her passing. This project explores the world she's left for us.

This was taken during a time of displacement while battling the traumas of grief and feeling lost following leaving my previous college. In this basement, I taught myself the foundations of fashion and design and furthered my skill in photography utilizing what equipment I already possessed: an iPhone. This is an example of pattern draping I'd done utilizing old sheets found in a box in this basement.

This project was initiated the very day I bought my first camera. I was about 15. I had strung a sheet in our garage and invited my niece to sit, not necessarily pose. The doll she held was her first black doll. Throughout her life up until that point, she had only possessed white, blond-haired dolls and I had observed her idea of beauty beginning to form through our conversations. I experienced the same throughout my childhood, a disconnection between myself and the childhood connection to toys and playfulness. Toys were never fun for me. The brightest of colors were bland, if not complemented by brown hues. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this is where my love for capturing warmth began in the eyes of Paityn. It is a goal of mine, to ensure our babies see themselves captured in warmth from the start.

Film Still taken at our Family Reunion in Natchez Mississippi. I had given a speech earlier in the night honoring our family historian, my grandmother, and receiving the honor of taking on her conservational role. It had been an emotional year for my family, we'd lost my father and grandmother weeks apart. my grandfather had battled puemonia, cancer, and coronavirus . My mother, had her own battles. And yet we dance, and we have never danced. Pictured (from left to right) : Joseph Edward Sims (my grandfather) Johnny Harris (my great uncle) Jocelyn Sims (my mother)

Collage made from scraps of various magazines and rubber cement.

Life was shot whilst traveling home to Natchez,Mississippi, in efforts to make progression in another of my projects "In Pursuit of Warmth". I glanced though broken glass of a once operating storefront, to reveal a world lying inside. Life was shot on Sony-ZV-E10 and Canon EOS Rebel T7.

This was my first experience working within creative direction, styling, and modeling. Photography by Markotheshooter

Self-Portrait submitted for Drawing 2 at the Savannah College of Art and Design,Atlanta. In Charcoal on Medium Weight Drawing Paper.

"Plate and Spoon" , a stylized image from inside my grandmother's kitchen, shot on Canon Powershot. This camera was given to me by my father prior to his passing.