The following article was written by Jana Hoops and was published on August 2, 2014 in the Clarion-Ledger.
With a desire to support and promote “what is good about Jackson,” photographer Ken Murphy and Lemuria Books owner John Evans have teamed up to create Jackson: Photographs by Ken Murphy, the first published pictorial account of Mississippi’s capital in more than 15 years.
Nearly two years in the making, the book includes close to 200 photos that capture the culture and vibrancy of the city, as it documents many of Jackson’s most familiar places and scenes.
Murphy, who lives and works as a commercial/art photographer in his hometown of Bay St. Louis, holds a BFA in documentary, editorial and narrative photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. He has authored and published two other award-winning coffee table books: My South Coast Home and Mississippi. His third book, Mississippi: State of Blues, was a collaborative effort with Scott Barretta.
Also contributing to the book was Lisa Newman, who wrote the plate details for all 186 photographs. Newman grew up in Jackson, Tennessee, then lived overseas and in various places around the South before she made a “very conscious decision” to move to Jackson seven years ago. With a background in teaching, she joined the staff at Lemuria as a bookseller and has written for the store’s blog for several years.
The oversized volume is being offered with a choice of four different covers: Lamar Life (standard), the Welty House, Fondren Corner; and Lemuria Bookstore.
Ken Murphy
Please tell me about your association with John Evans and Lemuria Books. How and why did the two of you decide to do this book?
Ken: I met John while selling my first book, “My South Coast Home,” back in 2001. I found him to be very knowledgeable and very willing to share that knowledge. From then on, I referred to him as my “book guru.” I would run all of my ideas by John to see what he thought. That is how Jackson came about. I was bouncing around the idea of a “Mississippi Volume II” book when John thought of the Jackson book. His belief in the project made me believe in it as well, even though I was a little dubious at first. Being from the Coast, I did not know Jackson, so I wasn’t sure that I could make enough photographs for a 180-page coffee table book.
Can you give an overview of the types of subjects in this book?
Ken: We tried to include everything that makes Jackson what it is, and that is its people, restaurants, historic buildings, museums, clubs, parks, and events. What you will see in this book are only positive aspects about Jackson. We will leave the negative stuff to the media.
How many images are in the book? How long did it take to complete the photography?
Ken: There are 186 photographs in the book. We started talking about Jackson in August of 2012. We pulled a deal together and got started shooting on St. Paddy’s Day 2013. I spent right at 12 months making photographs, so I would say it has taken two years from conception to having the books in the store, which is a record for me. I’m not sure how many shots I really took but we had a good list to work with, from the beginning. As we went down the list, it would change, depending on the location and my ability to get a photograph to represent it.
How did you choose which subjects made the cut?
Ken: The places and/or people in the book were selected by John and his team at the bookstore based on its, or their, importance to the Jackson culture. But this doesn’t mean that the photographs in this book are the only defining features about Jackson. That would not be true. As for making eliminations, it was simple. Either the place was no longer there, the person was unavailable, or it was just too hard to make what I thought would be a satisfactory photograph.
What is your hope for this book?
Ken: I hope it energizes the Jackson culture in a way that will be positive and beneficial to the citizens of Jackson as well as the rest of Mississippi. I hope this book will educate people about the true Jackson, while enlightening lifelong residents and visitors alike with an entertaining armchair tour. One of the reasons I wanted to publish a photographic coffee table book was to help dispel negative stereotypes about Mississippi.
I only hope that the world sees Mississippi in a positive light, literally. If my books can help do that and folks are inspired to get out and experience the real place, Mississippi, then I feel I’ve been successful.
Lisa Newman
Why did Lemuria Books decide to publish this photographic account of 21st century Jackson?
Lisa: We were continually getting requests for a photographic book on Jackson. The last one was published in 1998 by Walt Grayson and Gil Ford Photography and is now out of print.
A book celebrating the beauty of modern Jackson was long overdue, and Lemuria knew the work of Ken Murphy would result in one of the classiest books on Jackson — ever.
As the writer for the plate details of nearly 200 photos, your work covers eight full pages. How long did it take you to fact-check and write?
Lisa: It took me several months, but keep in mind that I was writing them at Lemuria while continuing many of my usual bookseller responsibilities.
How did you conduct the research?
Lisa: Ken requested input from every place he visited, and we received some response. I also immersed myself in every Jackson history book I could get my hands on.
The online catalog for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, along with other historical preservation sites, were great sources, as were current websites of many of the businesses.
Were there details that surprised you?
Lisa: The main courtroom in the Old Federal Building had one of the most surprising stories. It features a mural commissioned by the Works Progress Administration in 1938. Ukrainian painter Simka Simkovitch was asked to paint a typical representation of life in Mississippi. For many years, the mural was kept behind a curtain because of the reminder of the cruel injustice which was the backbone of the Old South economy. Today, the building is being repurposed as a multi-use facility and has taken on the name of Capitol & West. I think this photo of the courtroom is a great example of how Jackson is moving forward to create a new identity. We will have to see what happens to the painting.
We also included exterior and interior shots of Tougaloo’s Woodworth Chapel. The breathtaking chapel was a hub for civil rights workers.
Photographer: Ken Evans
Publisher: Lemuria Books
Price: $75
Jackson: photographs by Ken Murphy is available now for purchase. To order a copy, call Lemuria Books at 601.366.7619 or visit us online at lemuriabooks.com.
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