Horse-drawn Cultivator. Mississippi, 1974, from the series Southern Roads/City Pavements

Roland L. Freeman, Horse-drawn Cultivator. Mississippi, 1974, from the series Southern Roads/City Pavements, 1974, printed 1982, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of George H. Dalsheimer, 1991.80.5, © 1974, Roland L. Freeman

Exhibition Label

Sometimes humorous, always warm, each photograph by Freeman represents more than the instant it captures. For example, emerging from the woods in search of basket maker Lee Willie Nabors, Freeman came upon a horse-drawn cultivator in a fallow field that Nabors farmed. Silhouetted against the sky, the implement becomes and emblem for the spirit of creativity that even the hard life of the rural farmer cannot stifle. Freeman’s photographs tell of African American heritage and folklore and of people for whom the past continues to resonate. They are also the story of Freeman’s life, the people he cares about, and the commitments he believes in.

African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Title

Horse-drawn Cultivator. Mississippi, 1974, from the series Southern Roads/City Pavements

Artist

Roland L. Freeman

Date

1974, printed 1982

Location

Not on view

Dimensions