REGIONAL ARTISTS

The River Valley: Home to Mother and Daughter of the Blues

With a rich history in blues music, the River Valley Region has been home to several prominent blues musicians, including Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, “Mother of the Blues,” and Precious Bryant, “Daughter of the Blues.”90

Unlike blues traditions in the Piedmont (the upper Chattahoochee River), the region is defined by the lower Chattahoochee, combining popular blues traditions with fingerpicking, alternating bass notes or bass notes and chords, as well as traditions of African-American string bands or “pole plattin.”91 Ma Rainey was pivotal in bridging the call-and-response style of blues with a vaudeville performance. She was also known for creating music for the people, music related to themes of injustice and separation.92 Other musicians from the region include Jim Bunkley (Talbot County), Cliff Davis (Stewart County), Tom Darby and Jimmie Tarlton (Muscogee County), Jimmy Lee and Eddie Harris (Russell County), Dixon Hunt (Marion County), Green Paschal (Talbot County), and Bud White (Stewart County).93

Building on this vibrant musical history could help promote local artists, supporting a local entertainment economy. Like local artists and artisans, musicians bring people to a community where they support local businesses, while also creating more opportunities for local residents to get out and spend money in the community.

Butch Anthony is a contemporary mixedmedia artist in Seale, Alabama. He created the Museum of Wonder and describes it as “a modern-day cabinet of curiosities filled with art, artifacts, and found or gifted objects….”

In the 1980s, he took an anatomy class while studying zoology, geology, and biology, and he began using veins and bones in his art. His work has been exhibited in several states across the US, including Ohio, Alabama, and South Carolina. His work has also been featured in major publications such as the New York Times, Garden and Gun, and Hyperallergenic 85

Cathy Fussell

Cathy Fussell is a fiber artist from Buena Vista, Georgia, who has a studio in Columbus, Georgia. She has been sewing and working with textiles for more than 50 years. Her quilts tell stories of regional geography, southern literature, and American modernism. Her work has been featured in juried shows and curated art exhibitions. Her most recent exhibitions highlight her map quilts, which explore the history, landscape, rivers, and topography of the Southeast.

Christopher Johnson

Christopher Johnson is a muralist and artist who currently lives in Columbus, Georgia. He was a professor of art and director of the Fine Arts Program at Andrew College in Cuthbert, Georgia. He began his career in printmaking and wood carving, before turning to murals to help uplift and revitalize communities. A recipient of the 2019 Governor’s Award for Arts and Humanities, he has worked with communities and painted over 50 murals throughout the Southeast. His work was also acknowledged as the 2020 Favorite Art Piece in the Local Choice Awards (Columbus, Georgia). In addition, he has received three grants from Flint Energies to continue his mural revitalization projects.87

Roman Stankus

Roman Stankus is a self-taught woodworker and registered architect who currently lives in Stewart County. From an early age, he enjoyed making things and building wooden models. In high school, he was introduced to woodturning. He describes his work as exploratory and sculptural. His design and architecture background influences his work as he explores form, color, texture, and artistic composition through wood. He begins with a basic form created on the lathe, then uses routing, carving, burning, texturing, and coloring to complete the piece.88

Floria Yancey

Floria Yancey was a folk artist from Richland, Georgia. She created brightly painted plywood works of art. Born the 16th of 18 children to a family of sharecroppers, her work was inspired by her family heritage, childhood memories, faith, and imagination. Floria’s work was displayed at her own Folk Art Gallery. Brightly painted signs with themes of her spirituality could be seen at a distance. These signs were visible to drivers and marked the location of her church and studio. Floria took a picture with each person who purchased her work. She passed away in December 2021 at age 70.89