Through The Artists Eyes: Katey Follett
From the artist’s perspective
“Until my granddaddy passed away when I was fifteen, my summers and countless holidays were spent joyfully visiting his home in McRae. I’d sleep in the same bed as my mother, soaking in the memory of her youth, hoping for more and more of her past to reveal itself to me. I did not want to change a thing about it. Everything felt so right, down to the worn shag carpet of her bedroom, the way the air felt so thick in July and August and how the light appeared to have been drenched with a tinge of gold. As we would drive over the railroad tracks past the aging Coca-Cola factory it seemed then, as it does now, like stepping back into the 1950s.
Going back to see the swamp where my mother took swimming lessons with the alligators, or stepping into the school auditorium where she sat as a student-these are the places that I have chosen to highlight in my current work. By researching artists like William Christenberry and Stephen Shore, I have seen the ability that photographs of old towns have to engage viewers and to convey a humble integrity. I feel that McRae can be a nostalgic place to many people, whether they are familiar with the town or not.
As I share a collection of the same memories that were passed on to me, I hope a deeper relationship can be formed with each image. Being able to solidify these abstract ideas of the past has allowed me to let go of my fear that they would eventually be forgotten. Even as memories fade, and McRae’s presence in my life dwindles, the impression that it has left with me will not change. The next chapter of my life will always be influenced by the sweet nature that this town allowed me to experience, and that is something I know I will never forget.”
-Katey Follett, Senior Studio Art Major, Minor in Photography
From her professors perspective:
“Katey Follett’s color photographs lovingly document her mother’s hometown of McRae, Ga. The images allow the viewer to experience the beautiful light, colors and landscapes of McRae, a town that appears to have been unaltered since the 1950s. Through her photographs, Katey presents a place to which many of us may desire to retreat-a place that is authentic, full of character, and devoid of strip malls and cookie cutter houses. Her work begs the question, ‘what have we lost for the sake of progress and convenience?’ Her photographs seek to hold on to something genuine and real that is missing from contemporary American towns.”
-Emily J. Gómez, Assistant Professor of Art and Senior Exhibition Advisor
Featured artwork: “Back Drive”
“When I look at this photograph, I feel like it embodies everything McRae has meant to me. When we would ride in the car with my granddaddy to get ice cream, or leave for a swim at my Aunt Leta’s, this is the path we would take. Worn down from many years of tires rolling over the stubborn grass has made a permanent mark that rests beside the oversized bushes behind the house. Reconnecting with this image brings me back to many memories I have as a child, moments I will always hold dear to my heart.”
-Katey Follett
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 10 2009. Filed under Spotlight.
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