Historical maps tell the story of how communities and residents were defined by the underlying beliefs and prejudices of faceless bureaucrats and the political class. Effectively, the outcome of these maps was to both define and shape the arc of people’s lives in the communities known as the “Stadium Neighborhoods of Atlanta, Georgia.
Redlining to transportation to displacement by stadium and interstate, these maps are integral of the collective soul of these communities and the history of every resident that has ever lived there. Consciously or unconsciously, they are a kind of “skin” they wear everyday, as the artwork depicts.
The purpose of this exhibition is to put a human face to these maps, to honor and to recognize that there is a real and subjective side to the so-called “objective” stories that archival maps can tell.
The individuals portrayed are all current or former residents of the historic Summerhill Neighborhood, people whose lives and dreams impacted were shaped by decisions others made. Maps selected represent key moments in the African-American experience there.
Research, photography, design and artwork by Richard Laupus.
