The interdisciplinary project, “Retreat: Palimpsest of a Georgia Sea Island Plantation,” is the product of a collaboration between historian Pavich-Lindsay and Atlanta artist Lisa Tuttle that began in 1997. Pavich-Lindsay is currently working on a Ph.D. in social foundations of education.

    The installation is a visual and textual journey through the land that became known as Retreat Plantation. It is a multi-layered story of the people who lived on and used this particular piece of coastal land including indigenous peoples, European colonists, enslaved Africans, plantation owners, freedmen and women, golfers and vacationers.

    “The concept of a ‘palimpsest,’ a parchment or manuscript written upon two or three times with the earlier writing having been wholly or partially erased to make room for the next, is central to this work,” said Pavich-Lindsay. “The multiple layers of the land’s history, both visible and invisible, form the conceptual and aesthetic force of the project.”

    The land’s narrative begins with the shell mounds left for centuries by the nomadic Guale Indians and continues with occupation by Spanish and English settlers. The central section of the installation concentrates on the complex history of sea island cotton plantation as seen through the letters of a plantation mistress as well as some of the more than 100 enslaved people who labored there. The final section updates the story following the Civil War, and concludes with Retreat’s status as historic ruins surrounded by a golf club and resort.

    The project is an outgrowth of Pavich-Lindsay’s 10-year research on the life of Anna Matilda Page King of Retreat. As part of her master’s thesis, Pavich-Lindsay read, transcribed, edited and annotated letters written by Mrs. King to her husband and children between 1842 and 1859. These and earlier letters form the basis of a book by Pavich–Lindsay, titled “Anna: The Letters of Anna Matilda Page King of St. Simons Island, Georgia, 1817-1859,” being published by the University of Georgia Press and scheduled for release this fall.

    “It has been said that it is impossible to understand race relations in contemporary America without a profound understanding of its institution of slavery,” said Pavich-Lindsay, who has two degrees in history -- a master’s from Clemson University and a bachelor’s from Agnes Scott College. She also has been a dancer and taught dance at Mercer University. “History is often thought to be dry and factual; art to be elusive and subjective. By combining historical information and personal recollection with imaginative imagery, we attempt to affect in visitors a new level of understanding and identification with past human experience.”

    The exhibit was first shown in 1998 at City Gallery East in Atlanta where it drew an overwhelmingly positive response, even from those who found it disturbing. The last showing was at Clark Atlanta University Galleries from January-April 2001.

    In addition, she, Tuttle and artist Lynn Marshall-Linnemeier have produced an artists’ book based on the installation titled “Look Back,” published by Nexus Press. The exhibit and artists’ book are partially supported by a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

    In a companion installation, “A Slave Speaks of Silence,” Marshall-Linnemeier gives presence to the inner lives of Retreat’s enslaved women. Several voices speak through these projects: Anna’s words, her housemaid Rhina’s imagined words, the artist-historians’ words, and the words of historical markers and documents. All are overlaid on images – both those created and those found in archives. Collectively, these works offer an alternative form of narrative about lived experiences and a difficult past.

    Two special events associated with the exhibit were planned. A Palimpsest Discussion Circle was held on Saturday, June 29, at 4 p.m., in which Tuttle, Pavich-Lindsay and Marshall-Linnemeier, explored, with the public, issues of race, class and gender in relation to the current exhibition and artists’ book. The event was free to Contemporary Art Center members, $3 for general admission, and $1 for students and seniors.

    There was also a Look Back book signing and reception on Monday July 22, at 6 p.m., offering a one-night opportunity to purchase signed copies of the book and celebrate in the company of the artists. The exhibit and accompanying events were organized in tandem with the National Black Arts Festival.
 

Tuesday, June 18, 2002
Writer: Michael Childs, 706/542-5889, mchilds@coe.uga.edu
Contact: Melanie Pavich-Lindsay, 770/808-8497, mpavich-lindsay@mindspring.com