The Georgia Gazette
Patricia Turner (Punta Gorda, FL)
Mixed, silk and paper on 9 wood panels, 38” W x 48” H
Artwork:
Two million Africans perished on the gruesome sail to the United States after capture in West Africa. Overall, for every 100 Africans captured, 40% are estimated to have died either during capture or during their horrific journey. The arrival of survivors in Savannah was documented by The Georgia Gazette in advertisements for the sale of these men, women, and children on the auction block. “The Georgia Gazette Revisited” documents these horrors of human cargo and enslavement but also relates them to the turbulent times in which we live. After 400 years…through the 13th Amendment (freedom from slavery), Jim Crow, the 15th Amendment (Black vote for men), the horrors and lynchings of the KKK, the Civil Rights Movement, the Voting Rights Act, white supremacists, police brutality and murder…to the BLM movement Black Americans continue to be redlined, murdered by gun violence, and doomed to poor education and poverty as a result of our country’s history of white domination.
Artist Statement:
My art addresses issues of social, cultural, and political gravity. I use familiar imagery to highlight my views on notable historical and current cultural events. I call myself an “Art Activist” as I exhibit my art to spark conversations among the viewers. My process is unique to each piece: from hand-dyed papers, silks, and 3D elements to unique mounting styles that enhance the meaning I wish to convey. … to read the rest of the Artist Statement visit weredoingitallwrong.com or scan the QR Code.