Tag Archives: Georgia Art & Artists

Alma Thomas House, Circa 1889, Columbus

A Queen Anne house with a light yellow exterior, decorative trim, and a front porch surrounded by a white picket fence, located on a grassy lot.

This outstanding Queen Anne cottage in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Columbus was the childhood home of Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891-1978), a nationally prominent African-American artist and cultural icon. Interestingly, the home was located in an otherwise exclusively white neighborhood. A 2001 fire damaged the house but it was restored soon thereafter.

Family tradition states that the manuscript for The Souls of Black Folk, by W.E.B. Dubois, was typed on the front porch of the Thomas home by Alma Thomas’s cousin, Inez, who was Dubois’s secretary. Alma’s parents, Amelia Cantey (?-1938) and John Harris Thomas (1860-1942), were members of Columbus’s small but prosperous upper middle class Black community. Nonetheless, the family moved to Washington, D. C., in 1907, to escape the racial tensions of the Jim Crow South.

Alma Thomas enrolled at Howard University and in 1924 was that school’s first fine arts graduate. She later earned her masters degree from Columbia University. Thomas had a successful career as a teacher at Washington’s Shaw Junior High School for 35 years. Among her accomplishments were the organization of an Arts League and the development of a program to create art galleries within local schools. In 1943, she helped establish the Barnett Aden Gallery, one of the first Black-owned galleries in the United States. Ms. Thomas retired from teaching in 1960 to focus on her own art, focusing on abstraction as a member of the Washington Colorist School. A significant figure in Washington’s art world, she was associated with the Little Paris Group and Howard University’s Gallery of Art.

Thomas was the first Black woman to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum and the first to have a work in the White House permanent collection. Her work is collected by the National Gallery of Art, Whitney Museum, Corcoran Gallery, and the Smithsonian Institution, among many other venerable institutions. NASA owns several of Thomas’ paintings from her “Space” series.

National Register of Historic Places

George Balian’s Findlay, Georgia, 1973

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1973 painting of a general store with Coca-Cola signs in the ghost town of Findlay, Georgia, by George Balian — Mrs. W. E. Porter, General Merchandise, George Balian, 1973, Courtesy Meg Balian

I’m grateful to Meg Balian for sharing her father’s circa 1973 painting of Mrs. W. E. Porter’s general store in the forgotten village of Findlay. I’ve been meaning to share it here for some time not only for its subtle beauty but also as a link to the history of this elusive place in Dooly County. The building was still standing a few years ago but I never knew a name for the store until Meg reached out.

Meg’s father was Kevork Misak (George) Balian (1932-2013). As a young man, George began the study of art at a French and American school in Aleppo, Syria. At 18, he immigrated to America with $250, a suitcase filled with his belongings, and a watch. He worked his way through school and received a degree in Architecture from Auburn University, where a lifelong passion for War Eagles football was born.

Mr. Balian was a member of the American Institute of Architects and completed residential, public, and commercial designs in cities as diverse as Macon, Atlanta, St. Louis and New York. He was also involved in the design of the Abuja National Mosque in Nigeria.

Juneteenth Mural, Eastman

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The long-abandoned Peabody School lunchroom, which was designed by the architectural firm of Stevens and Wilkinson in the International Style in 1957, was transformed into a beautiful work of public art with the creation of this inspiring mural by Kevin “Scene” Lewis celebrating Juneteenth. Kevin told me the mural was completed in 2021.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but it has been an important day of remembrance and optimism since it was first celebrated in Black churches in Texas in 1866. It recognizes the end of slavery, which occurred at different times in various locations. The date of 19 June 1865 is the source of the holiday’s name, recognizing Major General Gordon Granger’s General Order No. 3, which forcibly freed all the enslaved people of Texas. This is significant since many planters and slaveholders from Eastern states fled to Texas to escape the war, bringing their slaves with them. Amazingly, the enslaved people of the border states of Delaware and Kentucky did not achieve their freedom until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment on 6 December 1865, but since Texas first began observing the holiday, the Juneteenth moniker has been used for all celebrations of emancipation.

Kevin “Scene” Lewis, has a story as interesting as his murals. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he grew up in southeastern Virginia, and embraced art from childhood. His talent for drawing and graffiti led him to a double major in Communication Arts and Illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating near the top of his class, he was headed to California when his car broke down in Kansas. While working to get it repaired, Lewis met his future wife, Reatrina, who was serving her first year in the Air Force. After they married, they were stationed around the world for several years but eventually landed in Warner Robins, as Reatrina wanted to be closer to her family in Unadilla.

Lewis had already embraced the Macon arts scene when he learned that his grandfather was a native of the city. In 2022, he told the Middle Georgia Times, “I just want to keep letting the city know that I know I’m not from here but this is my home. My grandfather was from here and I want to put roots here in the city and make an impact.” He is definitely making an impact. An accomplished muralist, his work can be found all over the state, and his smaller scale works have attracted a growing number of collectors. Visit his website here.

National Register of Historic Places

Camyljah Rose Mural, Albany

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This mural is located at the corner of South Jackson Street and West Whitney Avenue, just down from historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church and the Albany Civil Rights Institute. [311 South Jackson Street is the physical address]. It was created by local artist and gardener Camyljah Rose (Giddens), and the empty lot beside it has been turned into a small neighborhood garden. She titled the work “Muddy Waters” to show “resilience and the beauty of celebration, much like lotus flowers in muddy water.”

Chris Johnson’s Painted Silos Bring Color to Downtown Shellman

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Shellman’s historic downtown got a fresh new look in 2018. The six grain silos that dominate Ward Street were transformed into colorful canvases by artist Chris Johnson between 2016-2018. The illustrations were done first, followed by the Georgia and American flags.

Johnson, a native of Roberta, is the director of the visual arts program at Andrew College. He has gained notoriety for his murals in Georgia and Alabama.

Agribusiness is the heartbeat of Shellman, and the city wanted the silos to represent this fact, along with some local history.

One of the murals honors native son Boudleaux Bryant, who along with his wife Felice was one of the most successful songwriters of his generation.

Luck & Moody Peaches Mural, Barney

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This colorful mural by artist Ethan Abbott graces the side of the old Harris Brothers garage and leaves no doubt that you’re in the heart of South Georgia’s peach country. It’s one of the most colorful murals out there and I guarantee it will make you want to stop and buy some peaches or get some peach ice cream.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park, Dublin

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This mural, completed in 2018, imagines a young girl’s hope for a better tomorrow and is the highlight of Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park, at the gateway to downtown Dublin.

Located across from the First African Baptist Church, it honors Dr. King’s first speech and the roots of the Civil Rights movement that sprung from it. It is the work of Atlanta artist Corey Barksdale.

It’s a small park, but packs a lot of history and art into the space. An audio program can be activated, telling the story of King’s important visit to Dublin.

A beautiful sculpture by Mr. Barksdale, Freedom Ascension, is also located in the park.

A nice photo mural by Randall Gearhart features the interior of the church.

In addition to the work in the park, a sculpture by Dublin resident Juan Lleras honoring the architecture of First African Baptist Church and hopeful for a new generation to carry Dr. King’s legacy forward, is located across the street in the churchyard.

Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trail

Lizzie Jackson Monument, 1883, Milledgeville

Crawfish Monument, 2009, Woodbine

Ebenezer Cemetery, McIntosh County

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*Izear Day [5 February 1915-18 January 1931]*

Though the headstone pictured above is the most unique in the cemetery, I have chosen to document the site due to its considerable collection of vernacular headstones. Ebenezer (spelled Ebernezer on the sign) is actually two cemeteries, located off Churchill Road near I-95. A fenced section is the white cemetery while the surrounding larger cemetery is the domain of African-Americans, a few of whom were born into slavery and others who represent the first generation after emancipation. The African-American section is what is represented here.

*Charlie Ifield Thorpe [Circa 1877-1914]*

The predominant vernacular form in this cemetery is the homemade star-adorned headstone, a locally made type that is well-represented in the nearby Gould Cemetery at Harris Neck. It’s possible that all of these were the work of the same maker. They follow in no particular order but many of the examples are memorials for the Thorpe family.