Reversing the Hillbilly narrative of Al Capp
One of America’s best-known artists, Al Capp, the cartoonist, came to Arkansas to recreate the Li’l Abner cartoon strip in the remote city of Marble Falls. Creating an amusement park called Dogpatch, it was an Ozark home to Li’l Abner, Daisy Mae, Pappy Yokum, The Shmoo, Fearless Fosdick, and many other characters.
Capp and his investors started with a great idea, but a terrible business plan which included a mountain of snow and a ski lift for rural people who had never seen snow skis.
Groundbreaking was in 1967 and bankruptcy came in 1980.
‘By returning Dogpatch to Al Capp’s home in Massachusetts, I sought to reverse the hillbilly narrative the cartoonist had levied upon the Ozarks and Appalachia, even Arkansas specifically.’
The images in this series are oversized postcards (aluminum, 16×20 inches) –Arkansas Momentos – that were mailed to the cartoonist’s residence.
The trip through the postal system is a story itself, and upon arrival the mail-worn postcards were displayed during June 2018 at the Lunder Arts Center, Cambridge MA. The work was subsequently exhibited at Photo Spiva, in Joplin MO in March 2020 (Juror April Watson).
COLLECT your Arkansas Momento
- Portfolio of Al Capp images in a clamshell case,
10 images on 11×17 archival rag. Edition of 10, $2500. - Individual prints on 11×17 archival rag. Edition of 5, $300.
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