LIT WITHOUT SHERMAN Celebrates Atlanta's West End Neighborhood

The title LIT WITHOUT SHERMAN celebrates the fact that when General Sherman marched through Atlanta during the Civil War, burning much of the city, he did not burn several homes in Atlanta's historic West End, including Hammonds House, a Victorian home built in 1857.

Vibrant murals were painted on the walls of Hammonds House Museum in Shanequa Gay's LIT WITHOUT SHERMAN. It was the first time the museum allowed an artist to paint the gallery walls from floor to ceiling!

During the hot summer months, a common sight in the historic West End neighborhood of Atlanta is a group of young boys selling bottles of water to make extra spending money.

This street scene from the historic West End of Atlanta depicts a father and daughter, a young couple wearing crowns at the annual ML King,Jr. Festival, and gentlemen from the Nation of Islam selling bean pies and Final Call.

Well-dressed Muslim Brothers from the Nation of Islam are a common sight selling bean pies, fresh fruit, and the Final Call newspaper on the street corners of Atlanta's historic West End.

In addition to Muslim brothers with bean pies, another tradition in the West End is going to Soul Vegetarian, a vegan restaurant run by Hebrew Israelites, and being greeted by friendly chefs.

W.E.B Du Bois (1868-1963) was an African American educator, historian, sociologist, and activist who poignantly addressed issues of racial discrimination, black social problems and world peace during the first half of the twentieth century. He taught at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta) in Atlanta's West End from 1897-1910 and 1934-44. While in Atlanta he wrote some of his most influential work, including The Souls of Black Folk, and Black Reconstruction.

The Atlanta University Center (AUC) is the world's largest consortium of African American private institutions of higher education. Members are Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College. Previous members include Morris Brown College and Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC). All the colleges in the consortium are in Atlanta's historic West End.

The Atlanta University Center (AUC) is the world's largest consortium of African American private institutions of higher education. Members of the consortium are Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College. All the colleges in the consortium are in Atlanta's historic West End.

Shanequa Gay created a special toile patterned wallpaper design for the LIT WITHOUT SHERMAN exhibit. Within the design you’ll find images of businesses, churches, and people from the West End neighborhood.

Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin also known as H. Rap Brown, was an advocate for change in the West End in the late 70's and early 80's. He owned a grocery store and was a Muslim spiritual leader who preached against drugs and gambling.

Pictured are playwright and author Pearl Cleage and her father, the Reverend Albert Cleage who founded the Shrine of the Black Madonna in Atlanta's historic West End.

Pearl Cleage is an Atlanta-based playwright and novelist. Her plays include Flyin’ West, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Bourbon at the Border, and A Song for Coretta. She has written eight novels, including What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, which spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She often refers to the West End in her work.

Rev. Albert B. Cleage was a Christian religious leader, political candidate, publisher, political organizer and author. He founded the Shrine of the Black Madonna Church, as well as the Shrine Cultural Centers & Bookstores in Detroit, Atlanta, and Houston. He played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. He was the father of writer Pearl Cleage.

Albert B. Cleage, Jr. played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement and founded The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Atlanta's historic West End. Lottie Watkins was the first African American Woman Real Estate Broker and her business was located in the West End.

A native Atlantan, Lottie Watkins was educated in the Atlanta Public School System and graduated with honors from Booker T. Washington High School. In 1960 she founded Lottie Watkins Enterprises and, as CEO, became the first African American Woman Real Estate Broker in Atlanta. Her office was on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard in the West End.

Pictured from left to right are Lottie Watkins, Atlanta's first African American Woman Real Estate Broker; Willie A. Watkins, founder of Atlanta's busiest mortuary which was the first black-owned business in the West End; and Dr. Otis T. Hammonds, arts patron and former owner of Hammonds House.

Frequenting funerals as a young boy in rural Georgia, Willie Watkins later became a licensed funeraldirector and embalmer, and ultimately proprietor of Atlanta’s busiest mortuary. His first location is on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, and is the oldest black-owned business in the West End.

Hammonds House Museum is the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, an Atlanta physician and arts patron. He was a major supporter of Black artists in Atlanta, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the High Museum of Art.

Artist Shanequa Gay paid tribute to the community leaders and trailblazers in Atlanta's historic West End in her immersive exhibition, LIT WITHOUT SHERMAN: A Love Letter To The West End.

Atlanta artist Shanequa Gay's work has been seen in galleries around the world. In 2013, Gay was chosen by The Congressional Club to be the illustrator for the First Lady's Luncheon hostess gift for First Lady Michelle Obama. She was one of 10 artists selected for a city-wide mural initiative by the 2018 Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee. Gay's work includes TV and film features in LionsGate’s Addicted and BET television series’ Being Mary Jane and Zoe Ever After.