“Frogtown to Victory” proves to be victorious
In a place that has been dubbed as one of America’s most beautiful cities, it comes to no surprise to see residents and tourists alike whip out their cameras to photograph the likes of Jones Street and Forsyth Park. Areas such as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Victory Street are left ignored, and sometimes even avoided.
Ashley M. Jones, a graduate student in photography, saw the exact opposite. Her photographs not only depicted her interest in these neighborhoods, but also how the construction of the Interstate 16 flyover has affected them.
Since 2010, Jones has been photographically documenting the houses, businesses, and churches around the flyover. She has also photographed neighborhoods along Frogtown, Cuyler-Brownsville, and Victory Drive.
Jones put her work together in the exhibit, “Frogtown to Victory”, which opened May 17 at the Ashmore Gallery. In her artist’s statement, Jones explained that she was fascinated by the city’s history, especially with regards to its architecture. She wrote that there was “a stark division between the restored and legally protected buildings within the central National Historic Landmark District, and the struggling, run down neighborhoods that surrounded it.”
The opening of the exhibit was a success. The gallery was crowded with people admiring Jones’ documentation, which also included maps depicting the neighborhood’s change in scenery from 1898, 1916, and 2010. People also enjoyed the live performance by Zach Smith and Colleen Heine from The Accomplices, whose music was a perfect fit for the atmosphere. Professors such as Zig Jackson, Jaclyn Cori-Norman, and Rebecca Nolan were also present at the event. Jones herself was constantly surrounded by family and friends and received multiple a bouquets of flowers.
Jones said that she was inspired by the Bard College when documenting Frogtown. She also said after she graduates, she plans on teaching, including at the summer seminar in a few weeks’ time.
With Jones’ successful documentation of these neighborhoods, it may come as no surprise to see tourists in the next couple of years taking their own photos of Frogtown.
