Ab Gallery is proud to present the work of Jack and Lynne Stoddart  from Highland Mountain, Tenn Jack and Lynne "Munch" moved to the plateau in March of 1972. They moved from Miami, Florida, to the country, just like the song said. A lot of folks were moving to the country… just like the song said. But, they were different. They had a plan to create a black and white silver gelatin historical documentation of a vanishing Plateau culture. The people in rural Overton County still retained the lifestyles and attitudes of past generations. The mules working and the rail fences. The people dressed and working in the simple country manner of the past. A perfect opportunity to begin a life's work. At age 22, they had already been planning this move for 2 years. They became hill/hippies; living with the local community, not in some group of counter culture dropouts all pulling together. In 1972, they bought 48 acres and a small log cabin on Highland Mountain for $7,500. The locals generally agreed that they paid way too much. Jack went to work in a sawmill and then for a large animal vet named Wynn Easterly. Dr. Easterly was a famous character on the Plateau. Through him everyone in the area knew Jack & Munch. Jack was "Doc's Hippie". You know you're in when the local guys give you a nickname. The large animal work was an unlikely choice for a flower child. But, they weren't really flower children; they soon had two children of their own. Finally they had four. Whenever they had a spare moment they would drive the back roads and photograph the past, old stores, churches and barns. Mostly photographing old folks still living the life of simple rural farmers. Many people still used an old mule or horse; some had a small tractor. They would scratch out a living growing patches of corn and tobacco. The gardens would be big and the hogs fat. Some fed corn to the hogs and some made it into whiskey. Many did both. They photographed these beautiful, simple, honest people. They did it from the inside, from a position of friend and neighbor. In 1976, they took the show on the road. To create income they would load up the children and travel to festivals and exhibits all over the country to sell the images of a culture in decline. Some school was missed, but it was generally agreed that the children benefited greatly from the travel. In 1981, Kevin Grogan, then director of the Cheekwood Museum in Nashville, gave them a show in the Cheekwood Mansion Gallery. This was the first recognition on a large scale, an exhibit that validated years of dedicated effort. The years of retail art shows helped Jack refine the traditional silver gelatin process. The result is "The Plateau Collection", recently accepted into the collections of The Morris Museum in Augusta, GA; the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, and the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian. This collection portrays the Plateau culture in a positive light. Unlike much of the journalistic efforts popular in the 70's showing the rural 'poor' as weak and needy, the "Plateau Collection" reveals the very positive side of a hill culture that maintained it's identity despite a lack of money. Jack and Munch remain on the Plateau, living in one of the most rural parts of Overton County. Their oldest son Jason and his wife Beth have joined the family business. Alix arrived a year ago and is destined for greatness. They have opened a gallery two miles down a dirt road bordering the west fork of the Obey River. This off the path contemporary gallery features silver gelatin, black & white images made on fine European paper and washed in pure Tennessee spring water. The process used to create the museum quality images is becoming another victim of change. As digital photography begins to dominate the market, the materials necessary to print the traditional silver gelatin process become less available. Efforts are being made to replace the Agfa paper stock used for so many years. The fear that quality materials will become unavailable is becoming a reality.

This is a story about two people who dedicated themselves at a very early age. Thirty-four years later they are being recognized by museums as worthy of acquisition. The recognition is a nice touch, but Jack and Munch have always considered their acceptance by the local community to be the highest reward. They consider it a privilege to have raised their family in an environment that valued friends and family above money and fame.