Jefferson County Courthouse murals: Difference between revisions
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The '''Jefferson County Courthouse murals''', entitled '''"Old South"''' and '''"New South"''', are | The '''Jefferson County Courthouse murals''', entitled '''"Old South"''' and '''"New South"''', are a pair of 17'-6" tall by 8'-0" wide Art Deco-style painted murals on either side of the west foyer of the [[Jefferson County Courthouse]], entering from [[Linn Park]]. They were painted in [[1931]] by Chicago-based artist John W. Norton (1876-1934), who was commissioned by the architects, Holabird & Root. | ||
The "Old South" mural, on the South side of the lobby, is dominated by the monumental figure of a woman in a modest antebellum dress framed by fluted columns. Around her feet is a scene of African American slaves harvesting cotton and sugar cane near some humble cabins in the foreground. Behind them are two gentlemen on horseback, a riverboat, a warehouse and a Greek Revival style mansion. | The "Old South" mural, on the South side of the lobby, is dominated by the monumental figure of a woman in a modest antebellum dress framed by fluted columns. Around her feet is a scene of African American slaves harvesting cotton and sugar cane near some humble cabins in the foreground. Behind them are two gentlemen on horseback, a riverboat, a warehouse and a Greek Revival style mansion. | ||
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In their 2008 survey of Civil Rights Memorials across the South, geographers Owen Dwyer and Derek Alderman noted that "In the wake of the Civil Rights Movement and the arrival of black elected officials, calls to remove these murals of the Old and New Souths have been made. Outright removal, however, would destroy a 'material witness' to white supremacy's pervasiveness, depriving future generations of a part of their collective past." They suggested that a preferable means of addressing the "repugnant element" would be to commission a "counter-mural or plaque" similar to the plaque added to New Orleans' 1891 "Liberty Monument" in 1974, disavowing its overt racism. | In their 2008 survey of Civil Rights Memorials across the South, geographers Owen Dwyer and Derek Alderman noted that "In the wake of the Civil Rights Movement and the arrival of black elected officials, calls to remove these murals of the Old and New Souths have been made. Outright removal, however, would destroy a 'material witness' to white supremacy's pervasiveness, depriving future generations of a part of their collective past." They suggested that a preferable means of addressing the "repugnant element" would be to commission a "counter-mural or plaque" similar to the plaque added to New Orleans' 1891 "Liberty Monument" in 1974, disavowing its overt racism. | ||
In September [[2015]] | In September [[2015]] a petition was created calling for the murals to be removed from the Courthouse, "to a place that encourages critical engagement," like the [[Birmingham Museum of Art]] or [[Birmingham Civil Rights Institute]]. [[Hezekiah Jackson]] of the [[Birmingham Metro NAACP]] and [[William Barnes]] of the [[Birmingham Urban League]] supported the petition. | ||
[[Jefferson County Commission]]ers [[Sandra Brown]] and [[Joe Knight]] expressed support for the idea of removing the murals. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
* Dwyer, Owen J. & Derek H. Alderman (2008) ''Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory.'' Chicago, Illinois: Center for American Places at Columbia College ISBN 193006683X | * Dwyer, Owen J. & Derek H. Alderman (2008) ''Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory.'' Chicago, Illinois: Center for American Places at Columbia College ISBN 193006683X | ||
* Brook, Ginger (May 2, 2013) "[http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2013/05/old-and-new.html Old and New]" ''Deep Fried Kudzu''. | * Brook, Ginger (May 2, 2013) "[http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2013/05/old-and-new.html Old and New]" ''Deep Fried Kudzu''. | ||
* "[http://www.bhistorical.org/pdf/BHS_News1110.pdf Murals, Murals On The Wall: Our Story Through Art in Public Places, 1929-1939]" (November 2010) Birmingham Historical Society Newsletter | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* "[http://digital-libraries.saic.edu/cdm/search/collection/mqc/searchterm/Jefferson%20County%20Courthouse/mode/exact Jefferson County Courthouse]" photographs in the Ryerson & Burnham Archives Archival Image Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago | * "[http://digital-libraries.saic.edu/cdm/search/collection/mqc/searchterm/Jefferson%20County%20Courthouse/mode/exact Jefferson County Courthouse]" photographs in the Ryerson & Burnham Archives Archival Image Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago | ||
* "[http://www.change.org/p/jimmie-stephens-president-jefferson-county-commission-tony-petelos-jefferson-county-manager-ann-d-florie-jefferson-county-personnel-board-and-executive-director-of-leadership-birmingham-take-down-racist-murals-from-jefferson-county-courthouse Take Down Jim Crow Murals from Jefferson County Courthouse]" petition at change.org - accessed September 22, 2015 | |||
[[Category:Murals]] | [[Category:Murals]] | ||
[[Category:1931 works]] | [[Category:1931 works]] | ||
Revision as of 10:39, 22 September 2015
The Jefferson County Courthouse murals, entitled "Old South" and "New South", are a pair of 17'-6" tall by 8'-0" wide Art Deco-style painted murals on either side of the west foyer of the Jefferson County Courthouse, entering from Linn Park. They were painted in 1931 by Chicago-based artist John W. Norton (1876-1934), who was commissioned by the architects, Holabird & Root.
The "Old South" mural, on the South side of the lobby, is dominated by the monumental figure of a woman in a modest antebellum dress framed by fluted columns. Around her feet is a scene of African American slaves harvesting cotton and sugar cane near some humble cabins in the foreground. Behind them are two gentlemen on horseback, a riverboat, a warehouse and a Greek Revival style mansion.
The "New South" mural, on the North wall, features a similar composition, with the dominant figure that of a man in a suit and hat holding open a rolled drawing. There is black miner, a group of white ironworkers, and another white worker loading baled cotton in the foreground. Behind them are seen a locomotive crossing a bridge, a power plant, and a blast furnace.
Norton was partly inspired by the work of Mexican artist Diego Rivera to highlight working people in his murals. The composition of the two vertically-oriented murals with a single dominant figure reflected his "Ceres," Greek goddess of agriculture, for the main trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade.
In their 2008 survey of Civil Rights Memorials across the South, geographers Owen Dwyer and Derek Alderman noted that "In the wake of the Civil Rights Movement and the arrival of black elected officials, calls to remove these murals of the Old and New Souths have been made. Outright removal, however, would destroy a 'material witness' to white supremacy's pervasiveness, depriving future generations of a part of their collective past." They suggested that a preferable means of addressing the "repugnant element" would be to commission a "counter-mural or plaque" similar to the plaque added to New Orleans' 1891 "Liberty Monument" in 1974, disavowing its overt racism.
In September 2015 a petition was created calling for the murals to be removed from the Courthouse, "to a place that encourages critical engagement," like the Birmingham Museum of Art or Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Hezekiah Jackson of the Birmingham Metro NAACP and William Barnes of the Birmingham Urban League supported the petition.
Jefferson County Commissioners Sandra Brown and Joe Knight expressed support for the idea of removing the murals.
References
- Dwyer, Owen J. & Derek H. Alderman (2008) Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory. Chicago, Illinois: Center for American Places at Columbia College ISBN 193006683X
- Brook, Ginger (May 2, 2013) "Old and New" Deep Fried Kudzu.
- "Murals, Murals On The Wall: Our Story Through Art in Public Places, 1929-1939" (November 2010) Birmingham Historical Society Newsletter
External links
- "Jefferson County Courthouse" photographs in the Ryerson & Burnham Archives Archival Image Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago
- "Take Down Jim Crow Murals from Jefferson County Courthouse" petition at change.org - accessed September 22, 2015