Marryam Moma’s “ICONoclasts,” a work of public art gracing the windows of Herndon Plaza in the city’s historic Sweet Auburn district, portrays six of Atlanta’s most influential Black figures.
That list includes photographer Sue Ross; community activist Mtamanika Youngblood, director of neighborhood transformation at the Annie E. Casey Foundation; “Mayor” of Sweet Auburn John Wesley Dobbs; Doris Derby, who photographed quieter moments of the Civil Rights Movement in rural Mississippi; educator and historian Ricci de Forest, founder of the Madam C.J. Walker Museum in Sweet Auburn; and poet Alice Lovelace, executive director of East Point’s ArtsXchange.
Moma’s collage portraits are richly layered with symbols and historical references pertaining to the lives of her subjects. Here, in Moma’s words are what some of the symbols mean and why they matter.
Credit: Photo by Sam Bentley
Credit: Photo by Sam Bentley
ICONoclasts is a collaboration of the Historic District Development Corporation and Dashboard and will be on view until Dec. 31. Antonio Darden executed the project’s fabrication and typography.
The eye: Sue Ross
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
The groundbreaker: Mtamanika Youngblood
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
The ‘mayor’ of Auburn Avenue: John Wesley Dobbs
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
The audacious: Doris Derby
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
The historian: Ricci de Forest
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
The wordsmith: Alice Lovelace
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
Credit: Courtesy of Marryam Moma and Dashboard
IF YOU GO
Marryam Moma: “ICONoclasts”
Through Dec. 31 at Herndon Plaza, 100 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta. Free. dashboard.us/iconoclasts
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
MEET OUR PARTNER
ArtsATL (artsatl.org) is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. ArtsATL, founded in 2009, helps build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.
If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
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