Aug 16th 2025

Appalachian Shibboleth and Other Southern Trail Trees

@ KIOSK

3054 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Opening Saturday, August 16th, at 5:30PM

On view through Sunday, September 21st

“Appalachian Shibboleth and Other Southern Trail Trees,” opens Saturday 16, at 5:30 PM at KIOSK. The exhibition brings together a dynamic group of Southern and Appalachian artists and writers, offering layered reflections on regional identity and the hidden languages of the South.

Featuring works by Rodney Ellis, Anderson Goin, Isaiah Kennedy, Carl Moore, Hank Miles Smith, and Amy Renee Webb, the show explores the visual and thematic argot employed by Southern artists—symbols and narratives that speak to those rooted in the region and its identity.

Poetry by Virginia Poet Laureate Mattie Quesenberry Smith, will be featured through the exhibition, with a special in-person reading during the opening reception. Additional programming will be announced in the coming weeks.

The concept of the exhibition is inspired by the metaphor of “trail trees”—trees bent by hand to mark a path for future travelers who know how to read them. Similarly, the works presented create waypoints for navigating and negotiating Southern identity, offering guidance and resonance to those who share in its layered histories and cultures.

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: , , , , , , , ,