Chestee Harrington

Featured Work

 

Indian Bayou Home

18.5" x 21.5", polychromatic wood bas-relief, 1974

This work is currently on display at the Hilliard University Art Museum. It is part of the Depictions of Louisiana exhibit, which features pieces from the museum’s permanent collection.

Here’s what Chestee has to say about Indian Bayou Home:

“This work depicts the 19th century homestead of John and Sarah Morgan in Indian Bayou, Louisiana.

"It emerged from my efforts in the 1960s to document Louisiana folk housing, which was rapidly disappearing. The colors and textures of these rustic homes — with shiny ochre or newspaper-covered walls and weathered cypress exteriors — were rich and inspiring.

"I traveled through much of the southern part of the state, documenting vernacular architecture through photographs, drawings, wood polychromatic bas-relief and sculpture. Of the hundreds of structures I recorded — from Grand Isle to Alexandria and Indian Bayou to French Settlement — almost all are now gone.”

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