Gallery Purchase

Allison Janae Hamilton’s "Floridawater" photos explore a series of connected rivers in North Florida known as the Slave Canal. Dug in the 1850s to bring cotton from Georgia through the Florida panhandle, the canal was already defunct by the time it was complete, due to the development of railroad transport. Hamilton submerged her own body, clothed in a white dress, in the Wacissa River. Her head remains above the water, clouded in the reflection of the water, plant life, and her flowing dress. These works are haunting, yet beautiful. Her pointed foot in "Floridawater II" could be read in multiple ways: Is she in control, gracefully floating, or struggling to stay above water?
Hamilton works in sculpture, installation, photography, and video. She was born in Kentucky, raised in Florida, and her maternal family's farm and homestead lies in the rural flatlands of western Tennessee. Her relationship with these locations forms the cornerstone of her artwork, particularly her interest in landscape.

Blog Post: SEEN ON CAMPUS: Floridawater II by Isabel Smith ’24

Dr. Ann Fox’s “Disability in Literature & Art” class wrote and recorded image descriptions of some of the works in the Van Every/Smith collection. Here, Jacsen Luthy ‘24 gives a description of the work through their perspective. As does Emma Heiderscheit ‘24.