The premiere for “Listen to the Land,” a student-run and produced multimedia project, is scheduled for Friday, April 7, 2023, with a reception at the Gallery of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture.

ABAC’s “Listen to the Land” launched in the fall semester of 2022 with funding from the Gail Dillard Faculty Enrichment Grant and the Georgia Pecan Growers Association. The project includes a podcast and a public art exhibit, which attendees will experience for the first time at the opening, which begins at 5 p.m. with the podcast screening beginning at 5:30 p.m.

ABAC students Anfernee McDonald, Hayden Norman, Cole Creel, Sydney Doss, Abisai Vazquez, Collin Hammock, Abby Booth-Rabitaille, Molly McKettrick, Angela De La Mora, Elizabeth Parks,and Emma Maroney have been working with Dr. Thomas Grant, Curator Polly Huff, Dr. Russell Prior and Dr. Michael Maw on this project.

According to Curator Polly Huff, the gallery exhibition will contain several elements. First, life-sized photos of the first 12 podcast subjects will be on display. Introductions to each subject will accompany the photo panels. Additionally, a digital component of this exhibition will include an ArcGIS map, taking museum visitors on a mapped “tour” of each featured podcast. Lastly, a sensory element will give visitors an opportunity to experience a scent which captures each location and relates back to the story being told in the corresponding podcast episode.

The podcast explores how farmers, foresters, and residents in the rural Southeast relate to the land. It will address a gap in public discussion about why the rural landscape is important, examining not only the nation’s need for food and fiber production but also public desires for recreation and leisure, conservation and aesthetics that are embodied in pastoral regions.

“When thinking through the podcast last fall, we saw our project as one of helping rural southerners tell their own story about their relationships to home and the land,” said Pryor. “Our students took that idea and ran with it. We have a richer picture of our rural South as a result.”

“This student-driven project shines a light on the people living, working, and interacting in rural Georgia, especially those whose livelihoods are supported by agriculture,” said Maw. “This is a new and unique student engagement opportunity at ABAC, which has allowed the participating students to learn and apply technical and communication skills to a new format.”

“I have been tremendously impressed with the students working on the project,” said Grant. “They love people and they love telling their stories.”

Some of the land stewards featured in the exhibit, along with Listen to the Land team members, will be on hand to answer questions and give guided tours of the gallery exhibit immediately following the screening.

ABAC Dining’s Chef Jay Johnson will host the exhibit opening reception and feature Georgia-grown products highlighted in the exhibit and podcast.

The exhibit will remain on display at the Gallery of ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture until July 28, 2023. Admission to this exhibit will be included in the daily GMA admission price, and free to valid season pass holders and ABAC students, faculty, and staff.

The “Listen to the Land” podcast will be available on Spotify and wherever else podcasts are available. New episodes will be released throughout the 12-week duration of the exhibit.

For more information about this and future exhibits, interested persons can contact Huff at [email protected].