MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will host Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed and Fuel the American South, an exhibition of photographs by Kate Medley.
The exhibit, on display from February 22 through May 24, provides audiences with an opportunity to experience photographs from Medley’s award-winning book of the same name. Featured by the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN, among others, Thank You Please Come Again was named a Best Book of 2024 by National Public Radio, won the 2024 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters prize in photography, and was a finalist for a James Beard Award.
A Mississippi native now based in North Carolina, Medley is a visual journalist who covers national news across the American South. She focuses on storytelling and environmental portraiture, often exploring social justice issues and the shifting politics of the region. Medley frequently contributes to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, among other prominent publications.
For this project, Medley traveled across the South, logging thousands of miles over 10 years and making about 150 stops at gas station grills, buffets, and quick marts across 11 states. The photographs capture stories of people—families, immigrants, farmers, cooks, proprietors, and customers—in places that provide sustenance in many forms. Medley discovered that gas stations often serve as the hubs of rural communities, reflecting a cross-section of society.
“There is an egalitarian nature to the gas station, integral to the lives of people in every socioeconomic bracket, especially rural areas. Working as a photojournalist, it became my way of studying this complex region, the people who live here, and how the populations and priorities are shifting,” Medley said. “It is not about gas or even food. It’s about the people and the communities that are sustained by these outposts. It’s about work, culture, and survival.”
Medley’s interest in documenting the South began during high school in Jackson, where she took a summer photography course at Millsaps College. She and her father traveled the rural roads of central Mississippi to capture images. After earning her bachelor’s in photojournalism, Medley attended the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where she received her master’s.
“As soon as I learned about Thank You Please Come Again, I was interested in bringing it to The MAX,” said Penny Kemp, The MAX’s President + CEO. “Kate’s work captures something so unique about Mississippi culture, continuing the legacy of our great Mississippi photographers, journalists, and folklorists—like Bill Ferris, William Eggleston, Maude Schuyler Clay, and so many others.”
The exhibit includes 25 photographs from Mississippi locations such as Oxford, Indianola, Leland, Gunnison, Rena Lara, Jackson, Clarksdale, Sunflower, and Falcon, as well as communities in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, and the Carolinas.
The MAX will host Medley as an artist-in-residence for a week of workshops, allowing her to create new pieces and work with area students, exposing them to career opportunities in photojournalism and the study of cultures and folklore.
Members of The MAX are invited to preview the exhibit during an opening reception on Friday, February 21, 2025. Additional special events scheduled to complement the exhibit include:
- March 20: A Taste of Blues featuring music by Mark “Muleman” Massey and a curated dining experience by Chef Enrika Williams
- April 12: Annual Sipp & Savor food and drink experience featuring over 40 of the South’s best chefs, restaurants, distillers, and craft brewers
- April 30: The Beautiful Mysterious World of Color Photography documentary short and illustrated talk – Maude Schuyler Clay and Ralph Eubanks explore the legacy of MAX Hall of Fame photographers William Eggleston and William Ferris and their influence on new generations of Mississippi creatives—like Kate Medley.
For more information about these and other accompanying programs, visit www.msarts.org.
About The MAX:
The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) is an arts and cultural center in the heart of downtown Meridian that celebrates Mississippi’s creative legacy through interactive exhibits, workshops, and live performances. The multipurpose facility contains a two-story Hall of Fame celebrating the state’s groundbreaking artists like Walter Anderson, William Faulkner, Morgan Freeman, Jim Henson, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, and Leontyne Price to name a few, along with over 20,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, art studios, a recording studio, and performance spaces. Every visit to The MAX is a unique experience that leaves visitors feeling inspired and in awe of Mississippi’s global impact on music, literature, art, and entertainment. Visitwww.msarts.org to learn more.
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Falcon, Mississippi, is one of the poorest towns in the state and has recently lost its police department, fire department and post office because of lack of funds. (AP PHOTO/KATE MEDLEY)
