Artist Statement
40 Acres…Gumbo Ya Ya, is a poetic examination of a promise made by Union General William Sherman for agrarian reform to enslaved African American farmers. Gumbo Ya Ya means, “everybody talks at once.” Referencing broken agreements (just words) and the continual discussion (everybody talking at once) about the Blues originating past. Images taken in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas depict a rural southern landscape, the reality and longings of a neglected culture steeped in disappointment. Framed in vintage embroidery hoops, the landscape embodies the hopes and dreams of one generation to the next.
