Jack Leigh & Parker Stewart: In Conversation at Laney Contemporary Art, August 13

Jack Leigh & Parker Stewart: In Conversation
Artist Talk | Susan Laney & Parker Stewart
Moderated by Emma Hopson

Thursday, August 13 | 6–7 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Closing Reception | 7–8 p.m.

SAVANNAH, GA — Although Jack Leigh & Parker Stewart: In Place concluded its acclaimed run at Laney Contemporary on August 1, the conversation continues with a special evening exploring the enduring legacy of legendary Southern photographer Jack Leigh and the emerging career of contemporary landscape photographer Parker Stewart.

On Thursday, August 13, Laney Contemporary will host In Place, In Conversation, an artist talk featuring Parker Stewart and Gallery Director Susan Laney, moderated by photographer and educator Emma Hopson. The discussion will examine the artistic dialogue between Leigh and Stewart, whose photographs—made decades apart in many of the same coastal Georgia and South Carolina landscapes—reveal both the continuity and transformation of the Lowcountry.

Savannah-born Jack Leigh is celebrated for his three-decade body of work documenting the rural South and Georgia’s coast. Novelist Pat Conroy described Leigh’s photographs as “uncanny yet perfectly composed and cunning,” writing, “He cannot raise his camera without telling me about a South I never knew was there.” Leigh’s iconic photograph Bird Girl became internationally recognized after appearing on the cover of the bestselling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

A graduate of SCAD who made Savannah his home, Parker Stewart began photographing the tidal landscapes of coastal Georgia and the Savannah River Basin in 2020. While exploring remote marshes, shrimping docks, and backroads, Stewart gradually discovered he was retracing many of the same routes Leigh had traveled decades earlier.

Inspired by Leigh’s work, Stewart began thinking of the photographer’s books as “treasure maps.” In one instance, Stewart photographed a water tower in Estill, South Carolina, only to later discover Leigh had captured nearly the identical composition 30 years earlier. On another occasion, returning to a McIntosh County shrimp dock, Stewart encountered a half-submerged vessel that immediately reminded him of Leigh’s photograph Sunken Shrimp Boat, made at the same location four decades before.

The parallels between their work reveal a coastline marked by both remarkable continuity and profound change. Georgia’s commercial shrimping fleet, once numbering roughly 1,500 boats during Leigh’s career, has dwindled to fewer than 60 today, while traditional oystering communities and Gullah/Geechee families continue to face mounting environmental and development pressures.

Moderated by Emma Hopson, the August 13 conversation will explore the inspiration behind In Place, the curatorial process that brought the exhibition together, and the lasting influence of Leigh’s photography on Stewart’s evolving artistic vision. Laney, whose gallery career began in the 1990s working alongside Jack Leigh and who now represents the Jack Leigh Collection, will share personal stories of the celebrated photographer, his creative process, and his lasting impact on Southern photography.

“Working with Jack for over 15 years, I was given the opportunity to know his process, how he was inspired, and how dedicated and connected he was to his work and community,” Laney said. “I see a similar connection, passion, and drive in Stewart. The landscapes and passing ways of life that Jack captured have changed, yet much remains.”

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the artist talk begins at 6 p.m. A closing reception will follow from 7 to 8 p.m.

Seating is limited. To reserve a seat, please email info@laneycontemporary.com.