Hypothetical Exhibition Proposal: Racial Reconciliation at Sewanee

It is no secret that Sewanee: The University of the South has a problematic history with slavery. While such is common knowledge, many students and alumni are ignorant of some of the ways that Sewanee’s past figures—who... [ view full abstract ]

It is no secret that Sewanee: The University of the South has a problematic history with slavery. While such is common knowledge, many students and alumni are ignorant of some of the ways that Sewanee’s past figures—who continue to be venerated today—are problematic as well. The visual argument that portraits and buildings make on Sewanee’s campus today is implicit, it heroizes racist founders and donors. It venerates white figures, and leaves African American ones to be erased by the passage of time. This exhibition proposal seeks to recontextualize the visual argument that Sewanee’s campus makes, and to rectify Sewanee’s neglect of African American figures through the decades. To cultivate a deeper understanding of Sewanee’s history with race in the context of “building place,” numerous sources were drawn from. Sources include, but are not limited to, original documents from the University Archives, various The Sewanee Purple articles, published historical analyses on Sewanee’s past, and journal articles from JSTOR. Together, these sources provide a more nuanced history of Sewanee’s past, supplementing the exhibition proposal with clarity and historical evidence. This exhibition will seek to disrupt the way Sewanee and its community members perceive the constructed space around them. It will seek to examine lesser-known figures important to Sewanee’s racial past, and to provide a broader context to view Sewanee’s racial reconciliation efforts within. It will critically examine and confront the ways that Sewanee has historically represented itself through art and architecture on sites like the narthex windows of All Saints Chapel, or through the dedication of sites to figures like Leonidas Polk and Jessie duPont.