Rotan Switch \ Lisa McCord

Statement:

In 1979, I began to document life on my grandparents’ cotton farm, Rotan, at Rotan Switch, located on the Mississippi River in Northeastern Arkansas. (Rotan Switch is the railroad switch where the cotton bales were loaded onto the trains traveling northeast to the textiles mills.) These vernacular images of every day life depict my family’s heritage, struggles, and celebrations, as well as the lives of many African Americans in the rural south.

As a local photographer, I have the unique perspective of being both an insider and an outsider.
I am welcomed into the local homes, cafes and churches to capture images, which reflect the memories of my childhood. I hang out at the junk joints and honky-tonks and join the town’s people who meet to relax after a hard week of work. It feels natural to photograph these endeared friends doing ordinary things. We share fried chicken and black-eyed peas. We sing “Sweet Jesus Carry Me Home” at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. I spend many hours wandering the fields and local towns documenting the world around me.

Sometimes the hardest stories to document are our own. Taking photographs is my way of participating in life’s moments. I take photographs when my world falls apart, like my brother’s battle with his addictions, which he ultimately lost. I also take photographs to celebrate life, honoring my relationships with the people in Rotan. These photographs shine light on this community that raised and molded me and is interwoven with respect, love, compassion, and integrity. –-LIsa McCord

BIO:

Lisa McCord is a fine art and documentary photographer from the Arkansas Delta who lives and works in Los Angeles and Arkansas. Her color and black & white photography focuses on her experiences on her family’s cotton farm, allowing the camera to take her places both in the past and present, creating photographs that explore her memories and tell her stories.

McCord received her BFA from San Francisco Art Institute and earned an MFA from California Institute of the Arts. She also attended New York University, Le Contrejour, Paris, and The Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY. She taught photography at several high schools and universities in the LA area including Pepperdine University.

McCord has published several books on her southern life and LA culture, including Rotan Switch, Waiting For The Trial, LA Bathrooms/Pinatas, and Granddaddy & Bruce’s (Elvira) Wedding Reception. She has shown her work internationally and in over 35 exhibitions including SoHo Photo Gallery and Carrie Able Gallery in New York; Bruce Lurie and Building Bridges in Los Angeles; Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins; Classic Photographs Los Angeles, the Annenberg Space for Photography Museum, and the Cotton Museum in Memphis. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including Black & White Photography (UK edition), Float Magazine, and Feature Shoot. She was a Critical Mass Finalist in 2015 and 2016. McCord’s work is in the permanent collections of the Arkansas Arts Center and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

A Humid Day, Rotan Switch, Arkansas Frances’ children stand along side the car, having no air conditioning in their home, they escape the humidity by sitting in the car with the AC and radio running.

Cully and Lisa Sewing, Rotan Switch, Arkansas (self-portrait) Cully, my grandparents’ cook and housekeeper would go home and sew after serving lunch. She made most of her own patterns and dresses. I often joined her during her afternoon break and took pictures.

Grandmother Frances Sorting Playing Cards, Rotan Switch, Arkansas My mother’s mother was a beautiful, well-dressed lady, She was always organizing our clothes, our drawers, and our rooms. Because of Grandmother, we learned order.

Granddaddy at his Desk, Rotan Switch, Arkansas My Grandfather had a tremendous impact on my life. He loved me unconditionally. Although he was a farmer and an important businessman in the state of Arkansas, he always made time for his grandchildren. He would stop to see me at boarding school on his way to board meetings in Milwaukee and Chicago. Grandaddy, along with President Clinton, when he was governor of the state, brought industry to the small towns providing jobs for people after the mechanization of agriculture. I loved his humble, unassuming attitude amidst his success.

Jonathan at Granddaddy’s Desk, Rotan Switch, Arkansas Granddaddy passed away in 1999. Four years ago, my cousin Jonathan started overseeing the family farm and working in Granddaddy’s office.

Cheryl with Silos, Rotan Switch, Arkansas In 1982 Cheryl had dreams of leaving the farm and becoming a model. She ended up becoming a police officer and had two daughters of her own.

James and Cully Kissing, Rotan Switch, Arkansas James and Cully were very much in love. They loved to watch the daily soap operas together. James constantly teased Cully about her beautiful legs, perfect in size.

Frances with Child, Rotan Switch, Arkansas After I started taking photos of Frances’ children, she came out of the house yelling. I thought she was upset with me for taking their picture, but she just wanted them to brush their hair first.

Tang’s Children with Bike, Rotan Switch, Arkansas The kids came out to greet me when they saw me with my camera. They looked at my ring and asked if they could have it, but it was a keepsake from Grandmother and I didn’t want to part with, being twenty.   In 2018 I was visiting St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church with my photos when a man looked over my shoulder and exclaimed, “That’s my brother! And Tang is my father!”

Cully and James’ Cafe, Rotan Switch, Arkansas Cully and James owned a juke joint. They served beer to the farm workers on Fridays and Saturdays, after a hard week of work. Cully would cook hamburgers, if she felt like it.

Ish’s Bar, Rotan Switch, Arkansas Ish is a welder by trade. He owns and runs a honky-tonk at night. Mostly people from the small, neighboring towns of Wilson and Bassett hang out here. The bartender serves beer and cocktails, but no food.

Granddaddy and Sank Fishing, Rotan Switch, Arkansas Granddaddy’s favorite pastime was fishing. He didn’t get to go very often. Sank was his fishing guide, steering the boat and suggesting the best spots to fish in the lake.

Family Catfish Fry, Rotan Switch, Arkansas Once a year, the Wesson family (of Smith & Wesson) had a big cattle show and hosted a fish fry for the community. My little brother Lind sits next to my sister, Kimber, Grandmother, and mother.

Lind and James with Guns, Rotan Switch, Arkansas. Lind, along with the court appointed attorney, pleaded his case in court and, unfortunately, won. On April 12, 1985 we headed for Los Angeles.Lind died of a self-inflicted gun wound to the heart on December 25, 1990. He was 25. Granddaddy died of old age in 1999. He was 90My mother, who was estranged from the family for more than a decade, died of lung cancer in 2015. She was 73.

Sunday School, Rotan Switch, Arkansas Sometimes I went to church with Cully at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church. Together we would sing, “Carry Me Home Sweet Jesus.” Church was an all day event, including Sunday school.

Nancy McCrary

Nancy is the Publisher and Founding Editor of South x Southeast photomagazine. She is also the Director of South x Southeast Workshops, and Director of South x Southeast Photogallery. She resides on her farm in Georgia with 4 hounds where she shoots only pictures.

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Nancy McCrary

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