'Sipp Talk Live: Expanding The Archive and Reframing The South
The South—and Mississippi in particular—are often seen through a single lens: one that centers the pain and trauma of Black life. But what happens when we expand the archive?
What might our perception of Mississippi and the South look like if we made more room for different storytellers, different perspectives, and different ways of seeing?
What if the images we preserved were also about celebration, joy, culture, innovation, intimacy, and the interior lives of people we don't typically get to see on the record?
'Sipp Talk Live: Expanding The Archive and Reframing The South will discuss why they choose to document the people and places they do, how their photographs challenge familiar narratives, and what it means to contribute to a broader, more representative visual archive of Mississippi and the South.
By centering the voices of contemporary photographers, this conversation asks how today's image-makers are not only documenting the South, but actively reframing how it is seen, remembered, and understood.
Moderated by Jasmine Williams, Founder of ‘Sipp Talk Media; artists Kayla Rose, Rashad Harris, Ed Davenport; and model, Bleu-Jean, as they share about their experiences.
Following the discussion is a social intermission with sounds curated by Adrienne Dominick and fashion showcase.
Itinerary
5:30 PM – Doors open, self-serve and light bites
6:00 PM – Welcome + Introductions
6:10 PM – Conversation
7:00 PM – DJ break/Social Intermission
7:30 PM – Fashion Showcase
8:00 PM – Event clean up, Guests leave
More about the exhibition:
Exposure brings together contemporary photographers from Mississippi and across the South whose work explores identity, visibility, and self-representation.
Presented alongside Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985, the exhibition considers the many meanings of “exposure.”
In photography, exposure refers to the amount of light that reaches a camera’s sensor, shaping what is seen, what is obscured, and how a subject is represented. Historically, photographic technologies were calibrated for white subjects, often rendering Black people underexposed and without nuance.
The artists in Exposure respond to that history by using photography as a tool for self-definition, reclaiming visibility, and expanding conversations about Black identity. Through deeply personal and thought-provoking works, they examine how photographs can reveal, conceal, challenge perceptions, and affirm lived experiences.
Together, these photographs invite visitors to consider who is seen, who remains unseen, and how images have the power to shape the way we understand ourselves and one another.
Artists featured for 'Sipp Talk Live:
Rashad Harris, born 2001 in Jackson, MS, is a portrait and fine art photographer most widely known by the handle “Sleepy Optics”. An iPhone photo taken by him at 11 years old ignited Rashad’s steadily growing passion for photography as an art form, and as a means of expression. This set of images focus on self-expression and the black culture and style of the 80’s. Two young women on their night out; expressing themselves and celebrating each other.
Kayla Rose is a multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and creative sociologist whose work explores identity, memory, community, and the experiences that shape us over time. Currently pursuing a master’s degree in Creative Sociology, her practice is rooted in observation, examining how people move through the world, what they carry with them, and the stories embedded within everyday life.
Working primarily through photography, installation, and conceptual storytelling, Rose creates work that documents both personal and collective narratives, often blurring the line between art, culture, and lived experience. Her work is driven by a curiosity about human connection and the ways our environments, relationships, and memory inform who we become.
Beyond her individual practice, Rose is committed to creating platforms for artistic expression and cultural exchange. As Co-Founder of 2WOUnit, an experiential production studio, she develops community-centered creative projects that foster collaboration and storytelling. She is also a founding force behind The Pearl, a gallery and cultural space dedicated to exhibitions, education, and programming that amplifies artists and the communities that inspire their work.
Through both her art and her advocacy, Kayla Rose seeks to create spaces where stories are preserved, conversations are sparked, and communities can see themselves reflected back.
Edwin “THNDR Head” Davenport is a 29-year-old photographer born in Jackson, MS. He is an alumnus of Jackson State University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in graphic design. The fundamental rule of his photography is simply to have fun and cultivate positive relationships and experiences with the people he encounters while working!
bleu-jean is an artist who has dedicated herself to the arts and its evolution. She’s fashion forward, uber-creative, and multitalented. Through out her short yet impactful career, she has used her platform to shine a much needed light on Jackson’s ever-growing creative community! She’s helped curate a plethora of events with Thee Groove Collective and other local talents while also developing her own brand as a writer, creative director, stylist, and model! bleu-jean’s powerful, charisma fueled words are formed through unique experiences in her day-to-day life. She writes and performs in a way that’s relatable enough for people to understand who she is while leaving space for people to see themselves in her work. In jean’s words “I was destined to reach people without touching them and open their eyes to what they couldn’t see before. My purpose was made apparently clear the first time i stepped on stage. Finding that purpose made life worth enjoying, not just living.
Be sure to RSVP to join us, here
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