On View
On viewObject number2020.27
Cotton (from the Invisible Empire series)
Artist
Sheila Pree Bright
(American, 1967)
Date2019 (printed 2020)
Mediumarchival inkjet print, edition (1/7)
Dimensionsframe: 31 1/8 × 46 1/8 in. (79.1 × 117.2 cm)
image/sheet: 30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm)
image/sheet: 30 × 40 in. (76.2 × 101.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the artist
Exhibition History"Framing Moments: Photography from KIA's Permanent Collection," KIA (Feb. 6 - May 16, 2021)
"Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change," [Travel Version] at the Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI (June 6, 2021 - August, 15, 2021)Label TextCommissioned by the Washington Post Magazine to create a photo essay that spoke to racism in the United States, Sheila Pree Bright’s Cotton (from the Invisible Empire series) examines the tensions surrounding Stone Mountain Park—the modern birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan. Pree Bright explores what the monument represents to local residents, to passersby, and to tourists.
Her work raises questions about the legacy of Confederate monuments in the United States, particularly during periods when many were removed, relocated, or repurposed. In recent years, some of these monuments have been reinstalled, prompting divided perspectives: some view them as important historical artifacts, while others see them as symbols of fear and intimidation. How do communities reckon with a site of such contested meaning that exists only minutes from the safety of one’s home? Pree Bright encourages viewers to consider this question, underscoring how public engagement with difficult histories shapes ongoing conversations about memory and place in the United States.
[Label Text: For the People: America at 250 Exhibition, June 27 - October 4, 2026]
