“If a fellow farms hard enough to make something out of it, it’s got to be the hardest work a man’s ever done.” — Lloyd Rigsby
Acclaimed photographer and author Tim Barnwell grew up observing the traditional ways of rural farm families in western North Carolina. Church dinners-on-the grounds, country stores and mule-drawn plows were still part of daily life in the 1950s and 1960s.
By the late 1970s, Barnwell realized this traditional way of life was fading away as fast as farms were declining in number. He focused his lens on documenting this disappearing lifestyle for the next quarter century. His timeless images appear in On Earth’s Furrowed Brow: The Appalachian Farm in Photographs, opening Friday, April 3, at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. On view through Oct. 4, the traveling exhibit is based on Barnwell’s book of the same title (W.W. Norton, 2007). Admission is free.
“These photographs provide a window to the beauty and the brutal reality of farm life in a region long isolated from the rest of the state by the Appalachian Mountains,” says RoAnn Bishop, curator of agriculture, industry and economic life. “They chronicle a time when people still eked out a living from the land by practicing ways of work and worship handed down through generations.”
Captured in black and white, images in On Earth’s Furrowed Brow range from farms nestled in valleys to a woman proudly displaying garden produce. Here are the weathered faces of farmers tilling fields, the smiling eyes of a Cherokee blowgun maker, the studied gaze of a fiddler, and the wrinkled hands of a woman shelling beans for perhaps the millionth time.
To further preserve the past, Barnwell recorded interviews with some of the mountain residents he photographed. Most exhibit images feature quotes from these interviews, words that express the joys and challenges of these hardworking and self-reliant individuals.
Plato Worley of Shelton Laurel recalls growing up in a large family, “We had so much to do, and carving out a living was from one day to the next. We made everything we needed ourselves.”
A.J. Plemmons of Big Sandy Mush describes contentment, found even in old age, from living close to the earth. “Uncle Toney is 99 years old . . . and still setting out apple trees and grapevines. Gosh, it takes five or six years for them to produce, but he looks forward to that, you know.”
Of course, the men and women tell of changes, such as high-tech industries and housing developments, that have altered their landscape and lives. One resident laments that most people don’t know how to grow a garden anymore. To help visitors better understand farm life before these changes, On Earth’s Furrowed Brow features a dozen artifacts that include a handmade quilt and a pitchfork. Since smells evoke strong memories (or create new ones), a hands-on interactive gives visitors a whiff of some mountain farm commodities, such as Christmas trees, cured tobacco, ripe apples and sorghum molasses.
Plan to see this exhibit curated by the Asheville-based photographer, who has spent decades traveling the back roads of western North Carolina to preserve a lifestyle steadily slipping away. As Barnwell notes in his book’s introduction, “I am amazed by these people who have seen hardship and drawn strength from their adversities, and I am captivated by a way of life that has endured.”
Brief Biography of Tim Barnwell
Barnwell is a commercial and fine art photographer, whose career has spanned more than 25 years as both a professional photographer and a photography instructor. His images have been widely published in dozens of magazines, including Time and Newsweek. Barnwell’s prints are in permanent collections of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the High Museum in Atlanta and the SoHo Photo Gallery in New York.
His images of Appalachian life appear in a second book, The Face of Appalachia: Portraits from the Mountain Farm. A third book, Hands in Harmony, which focuses on traditional Appalachian music and handicrafts, is due out this fall.
Exhibit-Related Programs
The N.C. Museum of History offers a variety of programs that complement the exhibit On Earth’s Furrowed Brow: The Appalachian Farm in Photographs, opening Friday, April 3, in Raleigh. Join the lively opening reception, where you can meet photographer Tim Barnwell and enjoy food and old-time music performed by Don Pedi on dulcimer and Carol Jones on guitar.
Additional programs include a photo preservation workshop on May 9 and an activity-filled Family Day in September. There is something for all ages.
All programs are free except the summer camp. Evening and weekend parking is free.
On Earth’s Furrowed Brow Opening Reception
Friday, April 3
7-9 p.m.
Enjoy a mountain-themed party and get a special look at this traveling exhibit showcasing the work of photographer Tim Barnwell, who has documented the vanishing world of farm families in southern Appalachia. The reception is part of Raleigh’s First Friday evening event.
Curator’s Tour: On Earth’s Furrowed Brow
Saturday, April 4
1-2 p.m.
Tim Barnwell, Photographer and Guest Curator
Hear stories of mountain farm families and their traditions as you receive a personal tour of the exhibit led by the curator. A book signing follows the program.
*Time for Tots: A Child’s Garden
Tuesday, April 14, or Tuesday, April 21
10-10:45 a.m.
Ages 3-5 with adult
To register, call 919-807-7992.
Discover how people in the past used plants. Gather herbs in the museum’s Fletcher Garden and then plant your own miniature garden to take home!
*History Corner: Picturing the Past
Thursday, May 7
10-11 a.m.
Ages 5-9 with adult
To register, call 919-807-7992.
Photographs can teach us a lot about people in the past. Look at old images and learn how to “read” their stories. The program is presented with Cameron Village Regional Library.
Photo Preservation Workshop
Saturday, May 9
10-11:30 a.m.
To register, call 919-807-7992 by May 6.
Stephen Fletcher, Photo Archivist, North Carolina Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill
Learn how to protect your family photos at this introductory workshop covering the basics of preservation and storage, and get tips on identifying historic photographs.
*Summer Camp: Mountain Life
For completed grades K-2
Monday-Friday, July 27-31
8:30 a.m.-noon
Register early; space is limited. To register, call 919-807-7992.
Who are the people and what are the traditions of North Carolina’s Mountain communities? Learn a Scottish dance, play a Cherokee game, make an apple tart, and listen to a Jack tale. The camp is $85 and $75 for Associates members. Need-based scholarships are available.
*Farm Fresh Family Day
Saturday, Sept. 26
11 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Enjoy a fun-filled day at the museum and discover North Carolina’s agricultural roots! Learn about native crops and homegrown products, go on a history hunt in the museum, and try your hand at ginning cotton, planting seeds, and much more.
For more information, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org. The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street.
* programs of interest to children or families
For more information, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org. The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, www.ncculture.com.