Inherited From You

Southern women are almost never included in our country’s story of democratic struggle. Our southern communities carry heavy baggage from our history of devaluing lives. Coming from a deeply southern family from northeastern NC, I wanted to acknowledge the female led legacy of camaraderie and hospitality I have seen. Highlighting one of the most important aspects of southern culture that is distinctly feminine in its creation felt like a good place to start.

Recipe cards and cookbooks fill the bookshelves and cabinets of most southern homes. They often have a large amount of crossover in content because of how recipes and meals are shared. Recipe cards and cookbooks carry the names of the women who created them, some just saying “mama.” I may not know their life stories and struggles, but there is a remarkable connection felt when I hold their weathered card, feeling the indentation of their quick cursive and seeing the stains from use.

While there are things that need to change in our community, this generational impact of togetherness is one that I cherish.

Leaning into this feminine southern aesthetic, I stretched lace curtains on wooden stretcher bars which are normally used for stretching canvases. Adding a nod to women’s work, I sewed on photos and recipe cards from my family’s archives, some dating back to 1940.

In its original form, this was an installation placed in front of my family’s old cabin we would have family gatherings at. The lace panels were 5ft tall hung on copper pipe stands, arranged chronologically. The viewer was invited to walk from panel to panel seeing the generations from 1940-2000 unfold.

Reconstructed as a permanent piece, I downsized the lace panels and installed them in oak floating frames with a white-washed wood backing. The first piece contains images from 1940 while the second represents 2000.