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Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College

Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College

Davidson, NORTH CAROLINA

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  • Artist: William R. Ferris (American, b. 1942)

Ferris is an American author and scholar born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Ferris' work focused on southern African American folklore and culture. He earned his BA in English Literature from Davidson College in 1964, his MA in English Literature from Northwestern University in 1965, and a PhD in Folklore from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969. He was selected by President Bill Clinton to be the Chair of the National Endowment of the Humanities, a position which he held from 1997 to 2001. Ferris has written fiction, poetry, as well as book, record, and film reviews. He has recorded blues albums and produced 15 documentary films on southern folklore.

Cold watermelon vendor, Lelan, Mississippi, 1976 by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Cold watermelon vendor, Lelan, Mississippi, 1976, 1976
Chromogenic print
16.125 x 24 in
(40.96 x 60.96 cm)
Eudora Welty, Jackson, Miss. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Eudora Welty, Jackson, Miss., 1978
Chromogenic print
9 x 13.5 in
(22.86 x 34.29 cm)
B.B. King, Yale University by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • B.B. King, Yale University, 1977
Gelatin silver print
11 x 17 in
(27.94 x 43.18 cm)
Unidentified watermelon vendor and son, Betcheimer Store, Highway 27, Utica, Mississippi by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Unidentified watermelon vendor and son, Betchei..., 1974
Chromogenic print
16.125 x 24 in
(40.96 x 60.96 cm)
Alex Haley, Norris, Tenn. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Alex Haley, Norris, Tenn., 1990
Gelatin silver print
13.5 x 9 in
(34.29 x 22.86 cm)
Amanda Gordon, Diane Wright Smith, Shelby Wright, Sammy Wright, and Johnny Henry Wright, home of ... by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Amanda Gordon, Diane Wright Smith, Shelby Wrigh..., 1975
Chromogenic print
16.125 x 24 in
(40.96 x 60.96 cm)
Hubert Hamblett portrait by Theora Hamblett, Oxford, Mississippi, August, 1975 by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Hubert Hamblett portrait by Theora Hamblett, Ox..., 1975
Color photography
C. Vann Woodward, New Haven, Conn. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • C. Vann Woodward, New Haven, Conn., 1979
Gelatin silver print
9.5 x 13 in
(24.13 x 33.02 cm)
Rose Hill Church, Fisher Ferry Road by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Rose Hill Church, Fisher Ferry Road, 1975
Chromogenic print
13.375 x 20 in
(33.97 x 50.8 cm)
Wallace "Pine Top" Johnson and Maudie Shirley, Clarksdale by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Wallace "Pine Top" Johnson and Maudie Shirley, ..., 1968
Gelatin silver print
17 x 11 in
(43.18 x 27.94 cm)
Othar Turner, Gravel Springs by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Othar Turner, Gravel Springs, 1970
Gelatin silver print
17 x 11 in
(43.18 x 27.94 cm)
Highway 61, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi, 1976 by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Highway 61, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi, 1976, 1976
Chromogenic print
17.125 x 24 in
(43.5 x 60.96 cm)
Mary Gordon, Rose Hill by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Mary Gordon, Rose Hill, 1978
Gelatin silver print
17 x 11 in
(43.18 x 27.94 cm)
Amanda Gordon, Rose Hill Church by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Amanda Gordon, Rose Hill Church, 1968
Gelatin silver print
17 x 11 in
(43.18 x 27.94 cm)
Robert Penn Warren, Fairfield, Conn. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Robert Penn Warren, Fairfield, Conn., 1978
Gelatin silver print
9 x 13.5 in
(22.86 x 34.29 cm)
Roadside trailer, Highway 61, north of Vicksburg, Mississippi, March 1977 by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Roadside trailer, Highway 61, north of Vicksbur..., 1977
Chromogenic print
Robert Penn Warren and Eudora Welty, White House, Washington, D.C. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Robert Penn Warren and Eudora Welty, White Hous..., 1980
Gelatin silver print
9 x 13.5 in
(22.86 x 34.29 cm)
William Christenberry, Washington, D.C. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • William Christenberry, Washington, D.C., 1982
Gelatin silver print
11.75 x 16.5 in
(29.85 x 41.91 cm)
John Dollard, New Haven, Conn. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • John Dollard, New Haven, Conn., 1975
Gelatin silver print
9 x 13.5 in
(22.86 x 34.29 cm)
Unidentified man and woman, Cohn Brothers Country Store, Lorman, Mississippi, 1974 by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Unidentified man and woman, Cohn Brothers Count..., 1974
Chromogenic print
16.125 x 24 in
(40.96 x 60.96 cm)
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Dumas, Tutwiler by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Mr. and Mrs. Tom Dumas, Tutwiler, 1968
Gelatin silver print
11 x 17 in
(27.94 x 43.18 cm)
Aden Fisher White, S.M. White & Son Crossroads Store, Old Port Gibson Road, Reganton, Mississippi... by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Aden Fisher White, S.M. White & Son Crossroads ..., 1974
Chromogenic print
24 x 16.125 in
(60.96 x 40.96 cm)
Shelby Fitzpatrick, Hester Magnunson, Martha Ferris, King, and Queenie, 11186 Fisher Ferry Road, ... by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Shelby Fitzpatrick, Hester Magnunson, Martha Fe..., 1963
Chromogenic print
16.25 x 24 in
(41.28 x 60.96 cm)
Jim Steed, Route 1, Box 18A, Utrea, Mississippi, 1974 by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Jim Steed, Route 1, Box 18A, Utrea, Mississippi..., 1974
Chromogenic print
16.125 x 24 in
(40.96 x 60.96 cm)
Cleanth Brooks and Eudora Welty, Oxford, Miss. by William R. Ferris
  • William R. Ferris
  • Cleanth Brooks and Eudora Welty, Oxford, Miss., 1987
Gelatin silver print
9 x 13.5 in
(22.86 x 34.29 cm)
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