From split ponds to snow geese, highlighting the landscape of catfish farming in the Delta.
Forbes Lipschitz and Justine Holzman
Grant: Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts Research and Development Grant PI: Forbes Lipschitz
Description:
On the Pond: Catfish Farming in the Delta represents the context and ecology of catfish farming in the Deep South through illustrative, informative, and regionally specific landscape representations. Catfish farms are located principally in the Delta, an arc of alluvial bottomland bounded by the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers that has been labeled by many as “the most southern place on earth.” Home to some of the richest agricultural land in the United States, the Delta is also an important ecoregion for migrating and wintering waterfowl along the Mississippi Flyway. As historic wetlands continue to diminish, catfish farming offers the opportunity for both habitat creation and sustainable aquaculture production. Inspired by local landscape painters, historical research, and field studies Justine Holzman and Forbes Lipschitz utilize a combination of photography, mapping practices, and digital drawing, to convey the landscape of catfish farming in the Delta.
This research was made possible by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and was exhibited at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas in 2017.