Inaugurate the Resistance

Inaugurate the Resistance was an exhibit about Memphians’ experiences of the Women’s Marches that happened on January 21, 2017 in Washington, D.C. and Memphis, TN. Through large-scale photographs, listening stations, crowd-sourced protest signs and a walk-thru “tunnel” of film collage, the installation created an immersive and participatory experience for audiences in May 2017 at Crosstown Arts 430 Gallery in Memphis.

Community participation in this project included the Wall of Resistance (a living display of protest posters created and brought to the exhibit by audience members), a collage grid of photos taken by Memphians at the Memphis march, and open sessions where anyone could sign up to record their experiences. Listen to the playlist of “Inaugurate the Resistance” stories on Soundcloud. These recordings were also shared with Storycorps and catalogued at the Library of Congress.

This experience was co-created by collaborating artists Yalonda M. James (YoshiFoto), Joann Self Selvidge, and Sara Kaye Larson (co-director of See the Keepers), with support from co-curators Leah Keys (Spillit) and Jamie Harmon (Amurica).