Piedmont University’s Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art honors Lillian E. Smith, a long-time resident of Clayton, Georgia, in a year-long exhibition in Demorest, Georgia. The exhibition will be on view from September 5, 2024, until May 15, 2025. The exhibition is titled “Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Lillian E. Smith: 80th Anniversary Exhibition”.
A public reception will be hosted by Piedmont University on Thursday, September 5, 2024, from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Augusta-based photographer Mark Albertin will give a guest lecture.
It is the 80th anniversary of her best-known novel, Strange Fruit (1944). The exhibition will feature art, books, and personal items from Smith’s collection, including a book signed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photographs by Albertin and the director of LES Center, Dr. Matthew Teutsch, will be included as well. The LES Center is located in Clayton, Georgia, and is the former home of Lillian E. Smith. The property was acquired by Piedmont College in 2013 through a generous donation. It is now used as an artist retreat and educational center, over 150 acres that are ideal for recreational, social, and instructional activities.
There is much to learn about Lillian E. Smith. She was a white woman who openly wrote about controversial issues during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. As a social justice activist and an acclaimed author, she spoke out against racism. Living in the Northeast Georgia mountains, Smith remarked in a television interview with Dick McCutchen in 1962, McCutchen asked her if she ever wanted to leave the South. Smith explained that she might heal from the hurt if she left the South. She believed that when the writer’s wound heals, they lose their writing ability. In her writings and through her art, Smith exposed white people and their white supremacy.
Upcoming events at the museum include guest lectures: Hal Jacobs, director of the 2019 documentary Lillian Smith: Breaking the Silence, will speak on Sept. 17 at 3:00 P.M. Additionally, Dr. Eric Solomon, Instructor of English at the University of Mississippi, will give a lecture on the 2020 play The Laramie Project on Oct. 3 at 3:00 P.M.
Both the exhibit and reception are free to the public.
