In 2017, the Carlos Museum and Emory's Art History Department welcomed art historian Kirk Savage to campus to speak about "Iconoclasm and the Confederacy: The Challenge of White Supremacy in the Memorial Landscape."
In the talk, Dr. Savage, professor of art history and architecture at the University of Pittsburgh, addresses how monuments "bearing the impress of white supremacy" participate in historical erasure. What happens when societies decide that memorialized landscapes and objects are outmoded or offensive? How to determine which monuments necessitate removal? Acknowledging no easy solutions, Savage clarifies what is at stake when citizens call for revisions to the memorial scene.
After the lecture, Andra Gillespie, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory, and historian Daniel A. Pollack respond to the talk.
The program was recorded for publication in the online journal Southern Spaces, where it is available for viewing.
