Intruders in the Dirt

The Architecture and Landscape of the Arkansas Delta

Photographic exhibit by Brian Cormack, showcasing the architecture, landscape and history of the Arkansas Delta.

Artist Statement
 
Even though I had permission to be there, it felt like I was breaking and entering. That was mostly because I was entering via a broken window, like a thief in the night. The remains of the wooden boards that once covered the window had already been roughly kicked aside and were scattered on the ground amongst a mosaic of broken glass, which popped and cracked as I carefully stepped through. It felt eerie and wrong, like I was entering a neglected tomb.
 
Beyond was the lobby of a once grand hotel, which had been left abandoned for several decades. Its current condition was rough, a far cry from the luxurious landmark that it once was. The fine marble floors were covered with a thick layer of dust and debris. The stained glass in the skylight was gone, and rain water had been allowed to pour through holes in the roof. The marble steps were fractured and crumbling. There was that sweet and pungent smell of decay, and an eerie stillness that muffled the sounds of the street outside. Cool air that was caught on a current passed through the building with a chill, like a ghost sweeping by.  Above all was that pervasive sense of melancholy that seems to infect all forgotten places.
 
The hotel was the Hotel Pines in Pine Bluff, which opened in 1913 but closed in 1970.  After decades of abandonment, it was sold in 2017 and plans have been made for its revival. But other buildings in the Arkansas Delta are not so lucky.  Just a few blocks from the Hotel Pines is the old Saenger Theater, an architectural masterpiece that is crumbling away. Every year, more homes and buildings in the Delta are lost to arson, the bulldozer or just the unending assault of gravity and weather on weary structures.
 
The Delta region of eastern Arkansas is an area filled with rich history and culture. But economic and cultural changes have led to a steep decline in population in many Delta communities. Once bustling cities now have boarded up and closed downtowns, and many old homes and churches are abandoned and empty. These buildings and places represent generations of lives; of people who lived, suffered, rejoiced, and worked amongst these ruins.
 
This project was undertaken in order to help showcase the architecture of the Delta, with a focus on its historic and abandoned structures. The hope is that these photographs might help bring attention to these places, and perhaps even help in some of them being saved. And if that is not possible, to at least document them before they disappear. There is no way to replace a structure once it is gone, but a small capture of time that is preserved in a photograph can suggest, in a merest whisper, that somehow we might be able to hold onto a place for just a little bit longer.
 
These photographs were taken with either a Canon 6D, an Olympus E-30 or an Olympus EM-5, between 2012 and 2022. They represent several thousand miles driven across the state, and hours of work spent researching and editing. I would like to thank Richard Theilig and everyone at the Laman Library for hosting this exhibition. It’s an honor for me to have my photographs on display at my hometown library, near where I used to read books in the children’s section or did research in high school.
 
And I can not thank enough my wife Caroline for her infinite patience. And also my sons Jonah and Elliott for all the time I spent away driving out towards old buildings. I would never have been able to take these pictures, or put on this show, without their support.
 
Brian Cormack
 
About the Artist:
Brian Cormack is a photographer living in Little Rock. He has a BA in Communications from the University of the Ozarks and a MA in Journalism from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His work has toured the state nine times as part of the Small Works on Paper exhibition, which is put on annually by the Arkansas Arts Council. His work has also appeared in the Historic Arkansas Museum, and has been used by organizations such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. You may view more of his work at www.cormackphotos.com.

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