Fall 2022 Showcase Nolte

Caroline Nolte
Roadtrip Religion

This collection of photography is a documentation of something that I have taken notice of for a long time. My family lives in the Midwest, my friends live all over. I am always on the road. I have driven from Kansas to Florida, from Texas to Tennessee. I have long been fascinated with the strong religious, mostly Christian, imagery, signs and symbols that flank our highways. But it’s not just our highways, it’s our back roads, it’s our gas stations, it’s everywhere. As a cradle Catholic, I struggle between being in awe and being critical of these structures. What purpose do they serve? Who are they serving? Who fronts the money for these projects? Sometimes I am reminded of God’s grace, sometimes I feel like I am being condemned. This is Roadtrip Religion.

A Kansas City native, Caroline Nolte comes back to Mississippi by way of Dallas where she worked in the hospitality and family office management industries. A University of Mississippi School of Journalism graduate, Caroline is excited to return to Oxford to pursue her masters in Southern Studies. With a focus on 20th-century Mississippi Delta food studies, Caroline is eager to dig deeper into the intersection of culture, traditions, religion, and politics in the ever-changing American South.