Artwork by Aberjhani along with books by him will be available for purchase as part of his participation in Local Author Day on March 24, 2024, in Lafayette Square in the city of Savannah, Georgia (USA). Much of the artwork on display for the event will reflect themes explored in his books on Savannah.
"Taking a Walk through American History" is a landscape-formatted photograph suitable for hanging in a variety of locations, including offices, homes, museums, and classrooms. The landscape format also makes it an ideal design for such smaller items as coffee cups and tote bags. (Please view image by clicking link at the bottom of the page or pasting this one: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/taking-a-walk-through-american-history-aberjhani.html )
Developed using the Postered Chromatic Poetics finishing process, the image features custom-designed digital matting and framing. Shoppers are invited to use Promo Code EFGHAS throughout the month of September for a 25 percent discount.
FROM THE ARTWORK PAGE DESCRIPTION
The trick to taking this shot was getting as much of both the pedestrians-walking sign and the Confederate Monument in the distance into the photograph as possible. It was difficult because the monument, in Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, was to the west and the sign was facing traffic going north on Drayton Street. A ladder might have come in handy but I didn't have one.
The street sign combined with the aging distant monument aligned beside it struck me as a powerful symbol of the division some American communities are experiencing over how to handle controversy involving Confederate symbols, often associated with advocacy for white supremacy, in public spaces. Some city administrators have dealt with the issue by placing the statues and similar representations in museums, which preserves the items and the history they represent. Other administrators have hidden them completely. Some citizens (like certain folks recently in North Carolina) have torn them down and tried to destroy them.
The monument seen here stands where Civil War camps were once located, so the historian in me would like to see it modified to tell a larger story rather than completely demolished. In an article titled "Re-Envisioning the Confederate Monument as a Portrait of Diversity," I suggested Savannahians consider adding several diverse figures to the structure. It could then be re-designated as a historical marker illustrating the different stakes and values for which people were fighting during the American Civil War. The primary theme would be a unified America rather than a self-destructing confederacy. Visitors would see in it, hopefully, a more comprehensive narrative on American history as opposed to one biased version of it.
Aberjhani
