Artist: Rory Doyle

Project: Delta Quinceañera

Description: Rory Doyle’s Delta Quinceañera is “part of a larger body of work documenting Latino immigration in the rural Mississippi Delta over the last five years.” These images of a single Quinceañera, which shepherd the viewer from a Mass held in a young woman’s honor to a “dance party held in Cleveland, Mississippi’s local Army National Guard Armory,” convey the particular mix of grand, joyful celebration and deep, solemn importance that marks the transition from childhood to womanhood throughout Latin America. Though the party Doyle captured had hundreds of guests, his photographs focus mostly on the young woman herself, or on small groups of people among the larger crowd. The effect is one of a profound commitment to conveying the specific faces, lives, and stories of a growing population and the intentional communities these friends and families form.

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. To submit your work to the series, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..