October 11 – 18, 2023

Johnson Hall Art Gallery

This exhibition, which aligns with JSU’s 2023 homecoming theme, “Thee Legacy Continues,” will open to the public Wednesday, Oct. 11, through Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Johnson Hall Art Gallery on the university’s main campus. The exhibit is closed on weekends.

The exhibit was curated by a diverse and intergenerational group of staff and administrators from JSU and Getty Images, who believe in harnessing the power of photographic storytelling to show the rich history of the nation’s HBCUs. The images are also informed by hundreds of years of Mississippi movements and moments that underscore what homecoming and JSU mean to the greater community.

The exhibition is also an extension of Jackson State’s selection last year as one of four recipients to receive Getty Images Photo Archives Grant for HBCUs made possible by the Getty Family and the philanthropic organization Stand Together. The program commits $500,000 to digitize HBCU photographic archives and has supported the digitization, metadata and keywording for over 5,000 archival photographs from JSU’s library. 

Those who attend the exhibit will receive a dose of nostalgia by reveling in the evolution of JSU homecomings, from black and white photos of the university’s early football teams and cheerleaders to vibrant images of the Sonic Boom of the South and Prancing J-Settes. One may even catch a glimpse of themselves in afros and bell bottoms. All the images are designed to tell a robust story of the history and thrill of Jackson State homecomings. 

Guests can purchase the imagery on display in the gallery from an onsite brochure for direct shipping to their location of choice via photos.com.