Materias Primas presents Lisa McCord, Rotan Switch - Exhibition & Signing

Welcome art lovers! 🎨 Join us at The Perez Art District for a special exhibition and signing event featuring Lisa McCord and Rotan Switch. Get ready to immerse yourself in photo ethnography of five generations in the deep south on January 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM (Pacific Time). Don't miss this unique opportunity to meet the artists and experience her work up close. See you there!

Photographer Lisa McCord presents Rotan Switch, a project that spans 43 years from 1978 - 2021, documenting life on her grandparents’ cotton farm in the Arkansas Delta, following five generations of a community.

Rotan Switch takes its name from the community’s central landmark–the railroad switch where cotton was once loaded onto trains bound for the Delta. Although it has not been used in years, it remains a potent symbol of the complex intersections of industry and agriculture, racism and injustice.

In 1978, McCord began a significant visual journey. This photographic collection transcends basic imagery, exploring the intricate layers of community, identity, and the deep significance of home. The land of Arkansas and its inhabitants shape the core of the photographer’s sense of belonging. The images reveal a narrative intertwined with the socioeconomic realities of rural Southern America. This blend of personal memories and insights goes beyond mere documentation, creating a vibrant account of Rotan’s story–interwoven with the photographer’s familial roots in a region marked by enduring historical disparities.

“In a community in which most people spend their time working or caring for children, my ability to observe and document in itself has been a position of privilege.”

“These images are a record of my story of Rotan, a story that is specific to my and my family’s role in a place where inequities exist to this day. I have done my best to acknowledge this complicated history.”

McCord, a fine art and documentary photographer from the Arkansas Delta, lives and works between Palm Springs and Arkansas. Rotan Switch, published in 2024 by Kehrer Verlag, was a finalist for the Lucie Foundation Photo Book Awards and was a Critical Mass Top 50 finalist. Her book signings include Paris Photo, Photo London, and Coston Arts Center, in Arkansas.

Signed books and framed prints will be available.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Perez Art District, 68845 Perez Road, Cathedral City, United States

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