Exhibition Statement:

The Fisher People highlights the quiet resilience, strength and deep-seated traditions of communities that live and work along the waters of the American South. A collection of 32 photographs featuring work by Olivia Aylsworth and Tim Isbell, The Fisher People offers an intimate, static pause on Vietnamese immigrants and their impact on the coastal fishing industry.

A Knoxville, Tennessee native, Olivia Aylsworth is a documentary producer and photographer with MSU Films dedicated to source-driven storytelling. While working on a four-part documentary series of the same name, Aylsworth spent three years documenting the community she connected with. Rooted in trusted relationships with her subjects, Aylsworth’s work brings to life raw, unfiltered human experiences, allowing local voices and lived histories to guide the narrative.

Tim Isbell, a long-time photojournalist on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, adds a selection of his photographs of the same community nearly 30 years ago. At the time, while with the Sun Herald, Isbell spent nine months documenting the coastal Vietnamese immigrant population for his acclaimed series, The People Within. His 54-photo project earned a National Endowment for the Arts grant, capturing a pivotal chapter in the community’s history.

Together, these images capture the subtle interactions between people, heritage and the natural environment. Each photograph preserves a story passed down through generations, bringing these lived experiences to light.