Tobacco farming was once a way of life for many in the Pee Dee region. Today, farmlands in this area are no longer dominated by tobacco, though traces of the crops past dominance are evident. Tobacco barns dot our landscape, and a heritage trail in the honor of the crop runs from I-95 in Darlington County to US501 along the Grand Stand.
On Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Black Creek Arts Center will host an opening reception for Tobacco Barns of the Pee Dee at 116 West College Avenue in Hartsville. Visually, this exhibit highlights the structures that transformed a harvested crop into a commodity that people depended on - as income and consumable good.
The exhibit, produced by BCAC and funded in part by the Humanities Council of South Carolina and the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, features the photography of Benton Henry. Henry, a native of Latta, has a tremendous collection of photographs of tobacco barns.
"These photos are a small, representative sample of the overall collection," Bruce Douglas of BCAC said. "There are hundreds more of the same quality as the ones we have on display. Narrowing them down was the hardest part of the project."
The narrowing down of the photos was carried out by Henry, Douglas and Coker College Art Professor Jim Boden.
"We wanted the exhibit's level of artistic quality to be on par with the historical significance of the subject matter," Douglas said. "That's why we got Jim involved."
Also working on the project was Dr. Wink Prince of Coastal Carolina University. Prince wrote the interpretive text that accompanies the exhibit. Prince's credentials in tobacco farming in the South are unparalleled. His book, “Long Green: The Rise and Fall of Tobacco in South Carolina,” is widely considered the authority on the subject. Prince was interviewed by Walter Edgar of ETV's "Walter Edgar's Journal" about his involvement with the exhibit.
In addition to Henry's work, a series of photos by Cliff Jones will be on display in the Arts Center's upstairs gallery. Jones won two awards during The Carolinas II photography contest this summer.
The exhibits will remain at BCAC for the month of November. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.
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