|
Photograph by ©
Bill Steber Pick Jesus, Belen, Mississippi, 1994 A large module of cotton (actually containing a number of traditional 500 lb. bales) sits along Hwy. 6 near Belen, MS, waiting to be taken to a nearby cotton gin for processing. Roadside pronouncements such as "Get Right With God," and "Jesus Saves" have long been a common site along Southern highways. Though seemingly naive exclamations of faith, they are actually appropriate considering the sometimes stark simplicity of fundamentalist religion with it's emphasis on simple white churches and similarly unadorned religious teachings. The double meaning of painting "Pick Jesus" on large tomb-like bale of fresh white cotton gives the message an added resonance. |
Photojournalism & Documentary Gallery 2 Subject Gallery
| Credits: Pick Jesus, Belen, MS, 1994 - photograph by © Bill Steber. Used by permission of Bill Steber; photo can not be used without written permission of the photographer. This photo is from his extensive body of work entitled, "Stones in My Pathway," in which he documented the culture of Mississippi Blues for nearly a decade. Bill Steber's web site - http://www.steberphoto.com/ Photo information courtesy of the Houston Institute For Culture web site. Bill Steber was selected as the first HIFC "Featured Artist" because he represents the ideal dedication to preserving a record of an endangered culture. Houston Institute for Culture - http://www.houstonculture.org/
|
