Soul of Georgia exhibit opening with lecture by Dr. Maisha Akbar

Poster for the Soul of Georgia exhibit at GCSU. Includes illustrated images of Little Richard, Otis Redding and Sam and Dave

Soul of Georgia exhibit opening with lecture by Dr. Maisha Akbar

The Ina Dillard Russell Library will celebrate the opening of “The Soul of Georgia” exhibit with an opening reception and lecture at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 12 in the Ina Dillard Russell Library Special Collections Galleries in Heritage Hall, located at the corner or Montgomery and Clarke streets. 

The opening reception will feature a lecture by Dr. Maisha Akbar, chair of the departments of Languages and Liberal Studies; and Visual and Performing Arts and Media Studies; and director of the Center for Social Justice at Fort Valley State University. 

Akbar is author of “Preaching the Blues: Black Feminist Performance in Lynching Plays.” Her lecture will examine parallels between Black women depicted in anti-lynching plays to the treatment of Black female professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will deliver “A Blueswoman Matters: Re-Visioning Blueswoman Performance in a (post?) COVID era” during “The Soul of Georgia” opening reception.

“The Soul of Georgia” exhibit tells the story of how Black artists shaped the sound of America—beginning in the churches, juke joints and summer picnics of the South, exploding over regional radio and finding a home on record players throughout the United State and across the world. 

“The Soul of Georgia” chronicles that history through the careers of Georgia-grown superstars like James Brown, Otis Redding and Ray Charles, but pays special reverence to the experiences of Milledgeville standouts Gloria Walker and the Chevelles, whose record “Talking About My Baby” climbed the popular music charts during the summer of 1968. 

Visitors are invited to take in the sound, imagery and information in-person at Georgia College’s Ina Dillard Russell Library Special Collections Galleries or have a distinct online experience through “The Soul of Georgia” digital companion exhibit at https://bit.ly/soulofgeorgia

 

Updated: 2022-10-10
Evan Leavitt
evan.leavitt@gcsu.edu
(478) 445-5093
Ina Dillard Russell Library