Individual Artist Fellowship in Photography Recipient: Megan Ledbetter
By Krishna Adams, Director of Visual Arts, Craft, Media, and Design –
Megan Ledbetter, a Red Bank-based artist and educator, has been awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship in Photography. The Individual Artist Fellowship grant is awarded in recognition and acknowledgement of outstanding professional artists living and working in Tennessee who, through their work add to the cultural vitality of the state.
Ledbetter’s current project, “The Field,” is a post-documentary initiative centered on a long-abandoned and kudzu-covered municipal cemetery in Chattanooga. The cemetery was used between 1890 and 1912 and holds an estimated 2,500 unnamed individuals. The exact number is unknown due to past grave robberies and secret burials.
Through large-format black-and-white photography, historical research and local partnerships, Ledbetter is helping a community face a buried past. Her work confronts this history using art, advocacy and storytelling. She combines visual imagery with archival research, mapping and community engagement to bring visibility to the land and those buried there.
“This isn’t just about photography,” Ledbetter said. “It’s about recognizing wounds in our communities and responding with something respectful, grounded, and ongoing.”
Ledbetter said her work is not just about documentation but about personal, communal and historical repair. Her photographs are large-format, black-and-white, and printed on warmtone fiber-based silver gelatin paper. Ledbetter describes her approach as post-documentary, work that asks viewers to slow down, contemplate and consider repair. It’s not product-driven; it’s process-driven.
“While this might seem archaic to some, I believe the physical materials—film, silver gelatin paper—convey a richer, more contemplative experience for viewers,” Ledbetter said.
The fellowship will allow her to purchase materials, including 4×5 black-and-white film, and continue her archival research during a residency at Stove Works in September 2025. She will also use it to prepare for an exhibition at Chattanooga City Hall in October 2025.
After returning to Tennessee, Ledbetter immersed herself in the local arts scene by volunteering with ArtsBuild and serving on grant panels. She uses her experiences to encourage other artists.
“Get connected. Have other people read your proposals. Learn which grants are a good fit for your work; it makes all the difference,” she said.
Ledbetter holds a master’s degree in fine arts from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in fine arts from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN., and Auburn University in Auburn, AL. Her work has been widely exhibited, and she serves as a guest artist, lecturer, critic and juror.
Ledbetter’s portfolio and full exhibition history can be found on her website, www.meganledbetter.com. Her project, “The Field,” was featured in Volume 10 of The Bitter Southerner. Her solo exhibition is scheduled for this fall in Chattanooga.
