This week’s #MarkerMonday looks at the latest additions to Hidden Histories, a collaborative project between the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and the Georgia Historical Society. Hidden Histories is an online exhibit on the GHS website, featuring original research and artwork from SCAD students. Students choose a Georgia Historical Marker as a starting point and research the “hidden history” that is not included within the marker’s 130-word limit.
The markers featured include:
Edward Greene Malbone (1777-1807)
Indian Trading Post: Home of Mary Musgrove
Joel Chandler Harris in Savannah
CSS Georgia: The “Ladies Gunboat”
Beginning in the spring of 2014, SCAD Professor Holly Goldstein’s art history students worked to research beyond the information found on roadside historical markers in Savannah. The students submitted new written content elaborating on the historical context surrounding each marker. Through research in the archival collections of GHS and other local repositories, students also used historic and contemporary photographs, artwork, maps, and literary resources to create their own original works, including dyed fabrics, photography collections, paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works relating to each marker’s subject. Now in its eighth year, Hidden Histories has contributed a great deal of additional content to historical marker resources on the GHS website. The project has expanded to include historical markers across Georgia and highlights over 85 topics in Georgia history. This project has also enhanced participating SCAD students’ understanding of their community and the stories it has to tell.