Return to the Highlands

Written By John Rash


2006 Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain, NC.

(c)2006 Rash Photo.
I found it interesting the level of involvement kids play at the Highland Games. It should be no surprise, because most kids fall in love with sports, playing a music instrument, or dance at an early age. Highland games are so culturally specific I always imagined only adults being dedicated participants, however music, dance and athletics all play a major role in a highland weekend. Whether a spectator or participant, the games bring together many generations, all to celebrate a common culture and tradition. Something about that is much more heart warming than playing football or learning to play trumpet.

All images and words ©2006 Rash Photo / John F Rash.

John Rash

John Rash is a filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist based in Oxford, Mississippi. John earned his M.F.A. in Documentary and Experimental Art from Duke University and B.F.A. in Art Education from UNC-Greensboro, and now works as Assistant Professor of Film Production and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi. His documentary films and photographs often focus on topics of identity, counter-culture communities, social justice, and environment and have been shown in festivals and museums around the world. John has received multiple awards for his documentary works including the Soul of Southern Film Award from Indie Memphis Film Festival for Negro Terror, History+ Best Documentary Award from the North Carolina Museum of History for Our Movement Starts Here, and an Emmy nomination for his film about South Carolina-based photographer Sam Wang. John is also the founder of the Southern Punk Archive which aims to preserve the stories of DIY punk communities in the American South. In 2025, John was an Artist in Residence at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai and a resident artist at Crosstown Arts in Memphis, TN in 2022.

https://www.johnrash.com
Previous

New York Nightscape
Next

Urban Texture