From Alpha to Creation: Religion in the Deep South

Above Image: Allison Janae Hamilton, Brecencia and Pheasant II, 2015. Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen. © Allison Janae Hamilton.

On View February 15 – May 26, 2024 | Potter Gallery

For the first time, SECCA (North Carolina Museum of Art, Winston-Salem) and the North Carolina Museum of Art (in Raleigh) present a shared exhibition on both campuses, bringing awareness of global artists to audiences across our state. Examining place and theology from North Carolina to eastern Texas, From Alpha to Creation: Religion in the Deep South explores the ideological relationships among various belief systems, highlighting the blending of spiritual practices throughout our daily lives.

The exhibition distinguishes itself from antiquated or heavily stereotyped studies of Southern culture that often disregard our complexities. It instead focuses on the spiritual innovations that allow many of us to maintain a dedicated relationship with our religious heritages, from Abrahamic denominations to composite belief systems like Hoodoo. For many artists throughout the exhibition—who originated or worked extensively in the region—the South represents a unique context for religious expression reflected by our racial, political, and economic structures.

The exhibition will be on view at the North Carolina Museum of Art February 17 through August 18. Admission is free, learn more at NCArtMuseum.org. 

From Alpha to Creation: Religion in the Deep South is supported by Womble Bond Dickinson

From Alpha to Creation leads with documentary photography that grounds its analysis of Southern culture with actual people and circumstances throughout the region. Landscape photography illustrates the physical prominence of iconography and messaging embedded in the environment. Meanwhile, portraiture demonstrates the social effect of adornment throughout different faiths, with examples of people using dress to signify their devotion or hierarchy. The exhibition's video and sculpture complete the survey of spiritual practices by interpreting the extensive rituals and traditions that span as far back as precontact Indigenous societies.

The Winston-Salem installation of the exhibition features works by Allison Janae Hamilton, Ambrose Murray, Baseera Khan, Bill Aron, Brandon Thibodeaux, Debbie Fleming Caffery, Deborah Luster, Earlie Hudnall Jr., Heather Baebii Lee, Jamal Cyrus, Logan Lynette Burroughs, with newly commissioned works by Keni Anwar, Luzene Hill, and Ralph Burns.

From Alpha to Creation: Religion in the Deep South is organized by Maya Brooks, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, with support from Georgia Phillips, Curatorial Intern.