SLAVE TRADE ARTS REMEMBER'S DIFFICULT PAST





http://www.burnaway.org/2010/06/stephen-hayess-cash-crop-makes-history-concrete/
15 life-size sculptures standing in shackles dominate the central gallery of Mason Murer Fine Art, commanding our gaze as we enter the building, even though they stand some 20 yards away. The repetition of forms creates a powerful aesthetic, inviting viewers to explore, inch closer, and walk through and in between the imprisoned figures. The installation is the creation of Stephen Hayes, a student conducting his MFA thesis at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Entitled Cash Crop, the exhibition grapples with the subject of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, specifically with conditions aboard ships used to transport slaves to and fro. The sculptures remind us why studying the history of the slave trade is important.

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