Beyond the Oaks Exhibit

The Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage will present the exhibit Beyond the Oaks: Lowcountry Plantations from May 18, 2019 – April 2020. The exhibit examines stories of the plantation experience in the Lowcountry region and the impact of these historic sites on today’s society. SC Humanities supported the exhibit with a Major Grant in February 2019.

Through wall panels, artifacts, a documentary film, and optional guided tours, Beyond the Oaks: Lowcountry Plantations will provide a space for dialogue and critical thinking about the plantation system. Visitors will be encouraged to participate in empathetic conversation about personal plantation experiences from the owners to the enslaved African Americans; the impact of plantations on the Lowcountry in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the 21st century implications of this way of life.

The grand opening for the exhibit will be Saturday, May 18 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will include a screening of the exhibit’s documentary film and a Q&A session with the director and videographer. The film is a collaboration with Drew Baron Films and the Morris Center, and it investigates the complex plantation story of the region through personal and scholarly interviews. The grant opening will also include a panel discussion about interpretation and preservation of plantation sites with Shawn Halifax from McLeod Plantation Historic Site, Joseph McGill from The Slave Dwelling Project, and Beaufort author and former plantation docent Kim Poovey.

Additional public events, such as lectures, book discussions, and panels, will take place throughout the year that the exhibit is on display. For more information about the exhibit and other programming offered through the Morris Center, visit the website at www.morrisheritagecenter.org or call 843-284-9227. Located at 10782 S. Jacob Smart Blvd. in Ridgeland, SC, the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage is open from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.