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What You Missed Last Week!

Last weeks program was Michelle Dean, and she did a presentation on Pope Museum. Very few of us knew of this museum prior to Michelles presentation. Imagine that, a national treasure right in our back yard, and we learned so much about it firsthand.


The presentation was actually about Laura Pope-Forrester and what she accomplished in the art world between 1917 and 1953. Laura Pope-Forester was born on 31 January 1873 in Thomas County, Georgia. As a child, she was taught to sculpt with clay and create dyes from berries and other natural materials.

Between 1917 and 1953, Laura created what is possibly the oldest known outside art space in the United States. This Georgian depicted people, particularly women, whose traits and achievements she admired. She built her figures using found objects, such as scrap iron and tin cans, which she then covered in concrete, and colored them using handmade dyes. 

The Pope Museum is located in Grady County and is the former home of Laura Pope Forester. She was known not only for creating a large art environment of high quality around her house and store, but also as one of the few female artists to do this in the twentieth century. Thanks, Michelle, for sharing with us this hidden treasure in our own back yard.

Posted by Walter Marria, Jr.
August 30, 2021

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