Mississippi Mudbugs by Bebe Falkner
Water Valley, Mississippi sits thirty miles south of Oxford and exists largely outside the attention economy that has made Oxford legible to the outside world. Mississippi Mudbugs is a documentary photo essay about what fills that space instead – and about two establishments on South Main Street that together constitute something no single business could be on its own: a place where the same people eat crawfish on Wednesday afternoon and hear live music on Friday night and show up on Monday because someone they trust will have made cornbread. Above the front door, a hand-painted sign reads “Through this door pass the finest people in the world – Our Customers.” The images were made by someone who already knew that was true, and by someone who is proud to call those finest people her friends.
Bebe Falkner is a photographer and writer based in Lafayette County, Mississippi, and an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi pursuing degrees in Southern Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Public Health, Environmental Studies, and Environmental Science.
A seventh-generation Mississippi cattle farmer, she approaches documentary work with the patience and attentiveness of someone who understands that land
and community require long acquaintance before they reveal themselves fully. Her research musings are in capturing the Mississippi of her memories. She hosts For Folks’ Sake, a roots, blues and bluegrass music program on WUMS 92.1 FM, and occasionally co-produces Highway 61 for Mississippi Public Radio.
Falkner is passionate about the intersection of place, memory, and cultural documentation in the American South. Mississippi Mudbugs is her first documentary photo essay, made among people who already knew her name.
Alt Miss by Reice Hicks
“Alt Miss is a short, photograph-based documentary with the goal of presenting alternative culture as it has materialized at Ole Miss. “Alt” is a sociopolitical music-based subculture that prioritizes messages of anti-authority and breaking of “norms.” The narrative in this project is to essentially create a day and night cycle where I show these individuals both in alternative attire, but also show them in more normal attire or engaging in niche activities.
This project shows the lead-up to alternate scenes in order to inject a much-needed element of control into an otherwise chaotic scene. The alt community sometimes receives a negative connotation of being satanic or anti-American. Some are even afraid of the culture. I was raised that human fear is often the result of a lack of understanding or lack of control over what is feared. As a result, I seek to take the same strategy I do in my political and legal work; not simply present the other side of the story, but present HOW the other side of the story is woven. The selection presents several sites, such as an indoor picnic setting, punk decker, and the general setting of Ole Miss and Oxford. This is done intentionally in order to show a contrast in settings where this aesthetic is considered “normative” vs everywhere else.”
Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Reice Hicks, is a pre-law undergraduate at the University of Mississippi, majoring in Southern Studies while minoring in Public Policy. Hicks is interested in subjects related to law, government, and sociology, both physical and more abstract.
He has been identified as a deceptively influential individual who has done much work for Ole Miss’s Esports and TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying games) clubs, while remaining heavily involved in Sally Barksdale Honors academics and centrist-based political advocacy.
Where Life Continues
Where Life Continues looks at what independent living facilities are actually like and pushes back on the idea that they’re scary or depressing. By talking to residents and staff, it shows how these places really focus on helping people stay independent while also giving them support, safety, and a sense of community.
The photographs follow a few people through their everyday lives to show what it’s really like living there and how it can actually improve their quality of life. Overall, the goal is to change how people think about independent living and show that it’s not something to be afraid of, but something that can really help people and make their lives better.
Breanna Holcombe is a photographer from Newnan, Georgia, and an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi majoring in Southern Studies. She is interested in exploring Southern culture, storytelling, and how people’s everyday experiences shape the way we see different communities.
Through her work, she is especially drawn to topics that challenge stereotypes and highlight voices that are often overlooked. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with friends and working at an independent living facility, where she has the opportunity to connect with older adults, hear their life stories, and gain meaningful advice from their experiences growing up in different places and times.
The Effects of Music on Exercise Performance and User Experience in Gymnasiums of the University of Mississippi by Mary Kabore
The Effects of Music on Exercise Performance and User Experience in Gymnasiums of the University of Mississippi is a mixed-media project that combines both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. The results show that music has a positive impact on exercise performance, increasing motivation, energy, and endurance.
Additionally, music was found to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety, leading to a more enjoyable and engaging user experience. The study’s findings have important implications for gymnasiums and the fitness industry, highlighting the importance of music selection and programming in enhancing exercise performance and user experience.
Mary Kabore is a Master’s student in Ethnomusicology at the University of Mississippi. Her work focuses on sound, community, and identity, with particular interest in how diasporic communities use music and religious spaces to sustain cultural connections. As an international student, her research is shaped by her own experiences of migration, belonging, and adaptation.
Kabore engages documentary photography and film as tools for storytelling, using visual and sonic methods to capture everyday life and lived experiences. Her current project explores how international students at Ole Miss build community through faith-based practices within the Church of Pentecost Students Association (PENSA).
Savoring the River by Kesler Smith
Savoring the River is a project of a tight-knit friend group doing the work that they love. Savoring the River is a screen-printing company started by said group and is meant to give a creative outlet to the work they wanted and needed to do for the South. These photos are a love letter to those people, our place, and creative pursuits. This is especially important to capture as this chapter in their lives begins to close, and postgrad living begins.
Kesler Smith is a photographer from Oxford, MS, and an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi, majoring in Psychology and Southern Studies. As an Oxford, MS native, she is passionate about place and how concepts of home can be created or changed by historical context. In the past, she has photographed land for another research project regarding lynchings in the Lafayette County area.
Outside of class, she spends her days screen printing, DJing for Rebel Radio, hanging with her cat, going to shows at Proud Larry’s, or making and drinking coffee at the Heartbreak, the local coffee shop in town.