Telfair Museums is pleased to host the opening reception for its new exhibition, Tideland: Photographs by Parker Stewart from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, at the Jepson Center. All are invited to join the celebration and explore Stewart’s evocative photographs of the Georgia coast. Inspired by the magic of the Lowcountry, the evening will feature live music, beer and wine, and regional bites from FARM, including oysters and Lowcountry boil.

On display at the Jepson Center from April 4 through Dec. 7, Tideland is an exhibition of black-and-white photographs by Savannah-based photographer Parker Stewart. Taken between 2020 and 2024, these photographs document the coast of Georgia by transporting the viewer into the visceral and primordial atmosphere of the barrier islands and inland waterways.

A native of North Carolina, Parker Stewart (b. 1992) arrived in Savannah in 2011 to study photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Stewart’s work focuses on the notion of "Place," using photography as a tool to capture moments and scenes that deeply move him. Stewart is currently working on projects focused on the landscape and culture of the wild Georgia coastline and the rural Savannah River Basin, as well as extensive work in Coastal Maine, Western North Carolina, the Oregon Coast, and the Mojave Desert.

“The tide turns, the shrouding fog burns off the marsh, the quiet landscape of Georgia’s Lowcountry slowly awakens. The air hangs heavy with the scent of salt and damp earth, a perfume unique to this place where the sea and the land intertwine. The tideland is a complex system of barrier islands, marshes, creeks, and river mouths which operate as a single unit linked together by the constant breath of the tide. In and out, every six or so hours, the coastline reshapes itself, yielding to the persistence of the sea. Here, the bones of the land lie exposed – a skeletal graveyard of once mighty live oaks, now half-buried in the shifting sands. A lone palm, connected to the mainland by threadbare roots, left standing on the shore. Moments like that are what drew me to document this ancient coastline. I photograph this landscape with the intention of not only capturing the beauty of this place but invoking a sensory experience for the viewer.”

This exhibition is part of the #art912 initiative, a platform dedicated to raising the visibility and vitality of artists living and working in Savannah. Tideland is organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Erin Dunn, curator of modern and contemporary art.

Online registration for the Tideland opening reception is required. Tickets for Telfair members are $30, and tickets for non-members are $50. To register or for more information about the event, please visit https://www.telfair.org/event/tideland-opening-celebration/. This program is supported by an anonymous donation given in loving memory of Lila and Dale Critz Sr., whose unmatched passion for Telfair Museums will continue to inspire future generations. For more information about the exhibition, please visit https://www.telfair.org/exhibitions/tideland/.