The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience is gearing up to host “Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed and Fuel the American South,” an exhibition of photographs by Kate Medley.

 

The exhibition, on display Feb. 22 through May 24, offers audiences an opportunity to experience photographs from Medley’s award-winning book by the same title. Featured by the New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN, among others, “Thank You Please Come Again” was named a Best Book of 2024 by National Public Radio, won the 2024 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters prize in photography, and was a finalist for a James Beard Award.

 

A native of Mississippi now based in North Carolina, Medley is a visual journalist who covers national news across the American South and focuses on storytelling and environmental portraiture, often exploring issues of social justice and the shifting politics of this region. She regularly contributes to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications.

 

Medley traveled across the South, logging thousands of miles across 11 states over 10 years, making some 150 stops at gas station grills, buffets, and quick marts. The photographs encapsulate stories of people—families, immigrants, farmers, cooks, proprietors and customers—in places that offer sustenance in many ways. As she drove across the South, Medley found that gas stations are often the hub of rural communities, a cross section of society.

 

“There is an egalitarian nature to the gas station, integral to the lives of people in every socioeconomic bracket, especially rural areas. Working as a photojournalist, it became my way of studying this complex region, the people who live here, and how the populations and priorities are shifting,” said Medley. “It is not about gas or even food. It’s about the people and the communities that are sustained by these outposts. It’s about work, culture and survival.”

 

Growing up in Jackson, Medley became interested in documenting the South during high school, when taking a summer course in photography at Millsaps College. She and her father would travel the rural roads of central Mississippi so that Medley could make images. After receiving her bachelor’s in photojournalism, Medley attended the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where she received her master’s.

 

“As soon as I learned about ‘Thank You Please Come Again,’ I was interested in bringing it to The MAX,” said Penny Kemp, The MAX’s President + CEO. “Kate’s work captures something so unique about Mississippi culture, continuing the legacy of our great Mississippi photographers, journalists and folklorists—like Bill Ferris, William Eggleston, Maude Schuyler Clay, and so many others.”

 

“Thank You Please Come Again” features 25 photographs from Mississippi locations, including Oxford, Indianola, Leland, Gunnison, Rena Lara, Jackson, Clarksdale, Sunflower and Falcon, and communities in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and the Carolinas.

 

The MAX will host Medley as an artist in residence for a week of workshops, allowing her to create new pieces and work with area students, exposing them to career opportunities in photojournalism and the study of cultures and folklore.

 

Members of The MAX are invited to preview the exhibit early during an opening reception on Friday, Feb. 21. Other special events scheduled for the spring that complement the exhibit include:

 

March 20: A Taste of Blues featuring music by Mark “Muleman” Massey and a curated dining experience by Chef Enrika Williams

 

April 12: Annual Sipp & Savor food and drink experience featuring over 40 of the South’s best chefs, restaurants, distillers, and craft brewers

 

April 30: The Beautiful Mysterious World of Color Photography documentary short and illustrated talk – Maude Schuyler Clay and Ralph Eubanks explore the legacy of MAX Hall of Fame photographers William Eggleston and William Ferris and ways they are impacting new generations of Mississippi creatives–like Kate Medley.

 

For information about these and other accompanying programs, visit msarts.org.