Dear reader,
I want to invite you to my new exhibition, The Last Yearbook. The Last Yearbook is an ongoing photographic project that investigates the rise and decline of public education in Tennessee, tracing its trajectory from early promise to organized neglect.
When my daughter entered kindergarten, I began looking more closely at the state of the public school system. What I discovered was both personal and political. This body of work examines how public education, once a cornerstone of community and opportunity, has been systematically defunded and dismantled in the decades following forced integration in the South.
Combining newly created photographs with archival materials, The Last Yearbook visualizes the lost potential and fading dreams of our schoolchildren. The work reveals the erosion of shared hope and civic responsibility as we navigate our current political and social systems.
Please join me at Havner’s Frame Shop in Jackson, TN on January 6, 2026 from 6pm-8pm for the opening. We will have opportunities for you to share your own school experiences and memories. I have a bulletin board to hang your photos and stories on. Also, I’ve made a yearbook for you to sign. I hope to see you there.
-Aaron
