Boxed In/Break Out 2019
April 12 to October 27, 2019 Jepson CenterFolklore is a site-specific installation by Jessica Pope (American, B. 1983) for the 2019 iteration of Telfair Museums’ annual Boxed In/Break Out project, a museum-sponsored opportunity that invites artists to propose an original installation of artwork to invigorate the six large windows along the east side of the Jepson Center on Barnard Street.
Folklore
In 2016, Pope came across 500 Kodachrome slides that chronicled the life of one family from 1948 to 1954. The photographs revealed trips to a fish camp, a bountiful succession of Christmases, views from the river, sunrises, the mighty ocean from the deck of a ship, waterfalls, hugs, new houses, monuments and museums, a car crash, a steam train, laundry hanging on the line, a cold winter, a new car—leaving time standing still in a 2 x 2-inch square.
Pope’s installation for Boxed In/Break Out consists of six large-scale paper quilts centered around the Kodachrome slides, filled with stories of the past that evoke a comforting sense of nostalgia. Each quilt consists of 96 blocks made up of 3,000 hand-cut pieces with varying color schemes and patterns that focus on specific chapters in the family’s history. The memories, once hidden, now will come alive at different times of the day based on the direction of the sun reflecting through the Jepson Center’s east-facing windows.
Chad Alligood, independent curator and guest judge for Boxed In/Break Out, said of Pope’s proposal: “I love how her project weaves together different media and techniques, creating a visual experience that promises to be striking from afar and engrossing at close range. Because various materials included in the work are transparent or translucent, the experience will subtly shift throughout the day depending on light conditions, making it an especially appropriate project for the space. Additionally, the artist’s use of a vocabulary of nostalgia—quilt patterns, Kodachrome slides, and handwritten notes—invites viewers to find narrative connections to the work.”
This exhibition is organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Erin Dunn, Assistant Curator.
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View image 1 in lightbox:
Jessica S. Pope (American, B. 1983); Detail of Legends of the Sea, 2018-2019; Kodachrome slides and tissue paper; 60 x 84 inches; Courtesy of the Artist.
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View image 2 in lightbox:
Jessica S. Pope (American, B. 1983); Detail of Travels Here and Thereabouts, 2018-2019; Kodachrome slides and tissue paper; 60 x 84 inches; Courtesy of the Artist.
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View image 3 in lightbox:
Jessica S. Pope (American, B. 1983); Detail of Travels Here and Thereabouts, 2018-2019; Kodachrome slides and tissue paper; 60 x 84 inches; Courtesy of the Artist.

About the Artist:
Jessica Pope lives and works in Savannah, Georgia. She received her BFA in Textiles and Printmaking from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005. Jessica gets her love of all things vintage from her parents, active artists, collectors, and appreciators of any “good” that has a story. Her Savannah-based company Buck + Doe specializes in unique personal and home accessories, some found, some handmade, but always special.
About #art912:
#art912 is an initiative dedicated to raising the visibility and promoting the vitality of artists living and working in Savannah through exhibition opportunities, public programs, and outreach.