Artist: Kim Rushing

Project: Parchman

Description: Constructed in 1904, the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman covers 20,000 acres, forty-six square miles, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Originally designed like a private plantation without walls or guard towers, the prison farm has been slowly transformed over the decades into a modern penitentiary. In 1994, Kim Rushing began photographing the inmates. For almost four years, these men allowed Rushing’s camera into their living conditions and shared their written thoughts about their lives. These stark portraits of prisoners are a witness to our country’s ongoing struggle to define human rights and a remarkable testament to the power of change and stasis in all our lives. Parchman is now available from University Press of Mississippi.

Eyes on the South is curated by Jeff Rich. The weekly series features selections of current work from Southern artists, or artists whose photography concerns the South.