Overview
Madison Ke Francis is a narrative artist—he creates tall tales, fables, and new mythologies filled with his band of characters and symbols that speak to both the personal and the universal. His works celebrate the resilience of nature and the shared human experiences he has witnessed as a world traveler with a strong Southern heritage. Francis’ vibrant and exuberant visual narratives address a wide range of experiences from the ordinary to the sublime with a signature sense of humor.
Due South highlights prints in the MMFA’s Permanent Collection by Francis—including several recent acquisitions—alongside a selection of extraordinary prints and artist books from Hoopsnake Press, a printing press founded by the artist in 1970, which continues to thrive today.
Above: Memphis to Mobile, A Collaborative project with musical compositions and arrangements by Jeff Rupert and art by Ke Francis. The three folios consist of a letterpress printed introduction by Ed Berger the Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University and the written comments by Jeff Rupert about his compositions. The photographs and woodcuts that accompany the text are by Ke Francis. The design, the letterpress composition, the woodcuts, and the printing and binding were accomplished at Hoopsnake Press in Tupelo, MS.. Jeff Rupert and his band performed and recorded the music and provided the enclosed CD. The three hand-sewn folios contain 60 pages, The cloth-covered Clam Shell case, the folios and the CD are issued as an edition of 30 copies, Case (W 13 ¾ x 13 3/8), Folios – (W 12 ¾ in. x 12 ½ in.), Spread (W 25 ¼ in. x 12 ½)
Right: Headshot provided by the artist.
Organizer
Ke Francis’ works celebrate the resilience of nature and the shared human experiences he has witnessed as a world traveler with a strong Southern heritage.
Organizer
Organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama.
Sponsor
Support for this exhibition was provided by lead sponsors Lamar and Mr. and Mrs. Barrie H. Harmon III. Additional support was provided by co-sponsors Captrust; Ms. Camille Elebash-Hill and Mr. W. Inge Hill, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. L. Daniel Morris, Jr., and Dr. and Mrs. Alfred J. Newman, Jr.
