Fall 2024 Showcase Ricketts
Sela Ricketts
At the Crossroads: The Crossroads Gin and its place in the Delta Landscape
The Mississippi Delta has long been a source of inspiration for artists and creative thinkers, from William Eggleston’s photography to Eudora Welty’s visual and written narratives, and Oxford’s own William Faulkner. For me, the Delta is not only a source of artistic inspiration but also deeply personal. Having grown up there, I have been fascinated by its landscapes and natural environment since I was a child.
This body of work focuses on the Crossroads Gin in Schlater, MS, and its place within the Mississippi Delta. The Delta is characterized by an endless, flat expanse where the horizon stretches infinitely, and the sky is wide open. Within this vast landscape, cotton gins and other mechanical structures punctuate the natural environment.
By centering on the Crossroads Gin, this project explores the conversation between the land and the industrial architecture. These large industrial forms pale in comparison to the vastness of the Delta’s horizon. Yet their stark, mechanical presence creates a contrast with the organic surroundings.
Sela Ricketts is a visual artist based in Oxford, MS. Originally from the Mississippi Delta, she graduated from the University of Mississippi with degrees in Integrated Marketing Communications and Art. Sela is currently pursuing an MA in Southern Studies at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Her research focuses on photography and tourism in the American South, with a particular emphasis on New Orleans, Louisiana.