The Oxford American , a Magazine of the South, publishes a weekly series titled “Eyes on the South” which features selections of current work from Southern artists and artists whose photography concerns the South. On December 4th, Lamar Dodd School of Art MFA Candidate Matthew J. Brown was featured in the weekly series for his project New Developments. 

Brown’s “Eyes on the South” feature titled the “Culture of Convenience” is described as having images that are “ artless [and] tender”.  The article states that he “investigates the fluctuating story of land use in his home state of Tennessee, where agricultural regions have gradually given way to instances of retail and commercial real estate. These encroaching businesses—primarily box stores and food chains—often serve a short tenure on their lots before packing up and vacating, only to be replaced by similar, if slightly rejuvenated, enterprises. Along with the images of New Developments, Brown writes of his work’s mission to document the phenomenon of Tennessee’s ‘perpetuating dead market cycle,’ using the lens as a tool to frame examples of a ‘nation in transition, one which fosters a culture built on convenience and comfort through familiarity and pleasant consumer experience.’ ”  

Matthew Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2015 from East Tennessee State University and is a current MFA Candidate at the University of Georgia. In Brown’s recent paper, he shares how his first semester of graduate school has altered his perspective. He concluded the paper with a powerful thought. Brown writes, “I’m beginning to understand that maybe the work I make doesn’t need to come from some sort of hidden half-inch fold in my brain to be relevant; I don’t have to conceive of hyper-intellectual work for it to be of interest. How I observe, interpret and produce work, no matter the medium, is what makes the work function. I think that’s a powerful statement for someone to consider in graduate school. I’m beginning to catch the wind in my sails again and I’m throwing off the old bowlines. I don’t exactly know how to navigate, but I’ll figure it out eventually.”