PATTERNS OF THE PAST
ARTIST: Leigh Ann Culver
Location: Back Wall at Marietta History Center (McNeel Alley)
About the Artist: Evocative and unflinching, Leigh Ann Culver’s portraits depict the lives and stories of those who have frequently been overlooked or unseen by society. Culver, who spent her childhood in Florida before moving to her current home in Atlanta, finds inspiration in the people, history, and cultural significance of the American South. The region’s complexities and contradictions serve as an ongoing influence on her creative vision.
As a self-taught artist, Culver has developed an aesthetic that is uniquely and recognizably her own. Her large-scale, hyper-realistic charcoal drawings and mixed media works take visual cues from early black-and-white photography. Culver is fascinated with historical images—the single moment they capture and the spectrum of emotions they elicit. “The human face,” as Culver puts it, “immediately tells a story. It begs an emotional response, a psychological connection from the viewer.” Young millworkers, homeless veterans, and Wappo women are among the figures that populate her work. Through archival research and careful consideration, Culver translates these images into striking visual narratives of love, pain, struggle, and courage. These raw, deeply human emotions are what tether us, across space and time, to the lives in her paintings.
This mural illustrates the multifaceted history of Marietta by utilizing the patterns of Georgia quilts. Traditionally, these quilts have been used for generations to document family histories or to commemorate specific people and places.
In this design, Culver has woven together significant moments from our town’s past as if they were part of a larger quilt. Black and white photographs, sourced from the Museum's archives, will appear to be sewn into the work. Each photograph is framed by historically accurate fabric patterns that correspond to its specific era—ranging from the early Victorian period and World Wars I and II to the story of Rosie the Riveter.
This piece honors the diverse stories and rich history of Marietta and its residents.
Learn more at LeighAnnCulver.com.
sponsored by
The Daniel J. Reid Foundation & dk Gallery
