A sequence documenting the margins of the American Bible Belt by Nashville-based photographer Shawne Brown. Brown was born close to Kingsport in northeast Tennessee and studied images at East Tennessee State College. His work addresses the cultural and bodily panorama of his house state, its connections to regional and nationwide historical past, and resistance to the fast modifications within the space. From his household house to the Kansas heartland the place his spouse was born, “See the Elephant” is an try to return to phrases with the place during which he grew up. The title relies on an expression used throughout the Civil Warfare by troopers whose heroic beliefs of warfare had been destroyed by the precise carnage of battle:
“The phrase has since come for use as shorthand for gaining data by way of expertise on the excessive price of disillusionment. Disillusionment, nevertheless, might be acknowledged as a present that permits one the potential of seeing extra clearly, even someplace as difficult because the place you’re from.”
Shawne Brown participated in our 2026 Ebook Award open name and made our shortlist.
