In a landscape constantly in movement, ideas, imagery, histories, wildlife and communities find themselves collecting in brief moments, before continuing their nomadic journeys. Each leaving a trace and creating moments of gatherings. This collection of thoughts and physical materials have left an impact on the practice of 2024 AIRIE Fellow Charles Humes Jr. during his residency in Everglades National Park. Through this series of paintings, drawings, and mixed-media works presented in the solo exhibition Gatherings, Humes explores the intersections of this ecologically vital environment and the deeply rich cultural histories of the communities that have called this landscape home. 

The Everglades serves as a convening of intersections: water, land, histories, and identities. Through his residency and a revisiting of this natural environment as an alumnus, Humes explores the histories of Freedmen, Gullah, Maroons, and more. He acknowledges the deep history these communities have that are closely tied to this landscape. The River of Grass became a refuge, leading to new narratives within the Cypress. Through materiality, color, and composition Humes documents his observations in the Everglades. His works even imagine scenes that depict narratives of this landscape that have gone undocumented visually. With Gatherings, Humes gives viewers a deeper experience and understanding of the complexities of this unique landscape and the history embedded within.