Southern Girls by Meryl Perloff (Second Edition)

$125.00 - Please contact 23 Sandy for current availability.
This second edition is a scanned reproduction of the unique original hard-bound book. Growing up in the Deep South in the 1930s, African Americans, then called Negroes, were considered to be lower in status than their Caucasian counterparts. Discrimination in its mildest form embodied a sense of superiority, and limitations for Negroes were customary in all facets of life. The term "women" was reserved for black adult females, while white adult females were termed "ladies" —a subtle distinction, but limiting nonetheless. As a young child, these realities were not yet established, allowing a reasonable amount of interaction without prejudice. The creation of this childhood reverie is meant to illuminate the fact that discrimination is learned and practiced to varying degrees. It celebrates the joy that can be present in the lives of those who haven't yet learned the lessons of assigning negative values to those we are taught to consider inferior. This is the reproduction, accordion structure version of Southern Girls.

Artist Bio

The term "book" brings to mind a traditional format with which we are all familiar. An artist's book, by contrast, explores the landscape of that definition and allows pursuit of the limitless directions to which those functions can apply. Devising a structure that creates a visual dialog with the viewer engages one in a process that is both private and public. Perloff works primarily with binder's board and handmade paper, but repurposed items often find expression in her work. Having been born in a large southern city, its heritage and traditions often reside in the content of her work. These personal references often find a broad appeal as they represent universal values or experiences familiar to a wide segment of people.