Art brings historic scenes to live in Bamberg Ag+Art Tour
Telling story with visual, literary art
Artwork that focuses on agricultural history, from the collection “Ancestral Reflections: The Thompson Family,” will feature prominently in Bamberg County’s first participation in the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour.
The artwork will tell of the agricultural experiences of members of the Thompson family, who lived in rural Aiken County during the post Reconstruction Period. The exhibition highlights the stories of
- a former enslaved relative named Isaac Quattlebaum, who became a successful entrepreneur/farmer who produced cane syrup;
- the story of Phillip Thompson who incorporated soil conservation practices;
- the story of Oscar Thompson, along with Aiken County African American farmers who participated in a field study at the legendary Coker Pedigreed Farms in Hartsville;
- and the story of Joshua Corley who was sharecropper who picked cotton to survive the hardships of sharecropping.
The paintings are visual representations of experiences from the stories in the book, “The Thompson Family: Untold Stories From The Past (1830-1960),” by Dr. Walter B. Curry, Jr. The paintings were designed by artist Chakalah Crawford.
The paintings will highlight the richness of agriculture historically in rural South Carolina from the African American experience, how agriculture shaped the lives of individuals and families in rural South Carolina historically and culturally, and highlight agricultural practices historically in cane syrup production, soil conservation, and cotton labor. The paintings will include QR codes allowing visitors to download historical images, texts, audio clips of spoken word poetry, related to each painting.
Digital art prints of the paintings and the Curry book will be available for sale at the tour site, Saltcatcher Farms, 169 Frank Ct., Denmark, SC 29042, during these times:
- Saturday, May 18, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Sunday, May 19, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
For more about the tour in Bamberg County, visit https://www.agandarttour.com/bamberg or contact tour chairwoman Lara Buss at scrhalbuss@gmail.com. Additional information about the paintings, contact Dr. Curry at renaissancepublicationsllc@gmail.com or visit www.renaissancepubllc.com.
The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is a free, self-guided tour of farms and markets featuring local artisans at every stop! During the tour visitors can see first-hand where their food comes from, watch artists in action and purchase their works, enjoy the melodies of local musicians, and learn more about rural life. The tour is the largest free farm and art tour in the nation with over 85,000 visitors participating since 2012.