Telfair Academy of the Arts and Sciences, Savannah, Georgia 1935

Editor: So, this is Walker Evans' "Telfair Academy of the Arts and Sciences, Savannah, Georgia," a gelatin-silver print from 1935. It's a very formal, almost austere composition. What strikes me is how the statues flanking the entrance seem to embody different eras. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Evans' photograph operates on multiple levels. It isn't just a depiction of a building, but a commentary on cultural institutions in the American South during a period of intense social and economic upheaval. Consider that this was taken during the Great Depression; do you think this image is divorced from issues of inequality? Editor: Not entirely, but it's subtle. It seems to focus on the architectural style and its relation to fine arts institutions of the time, right? Curator: Precisely, but let’s think critically about the implied power structures embedded within the Academy. The classical architecture evokes European tradition and privilege, which, especially in the context of the South, needs interrogation. How does Evans’ sharp, unromantic realism challenge or reinforce those notions? Editor: I see your point. The stark realism and the classical structure create a tension, almost a silent critique. He isn't glorifying the Academy. Curator: Exactly. It’s about questioning whose stories are being told and preserved in these spaces. Even the act of photographing it, framing it in a particular way, participates in this ongoing narrative of who gets seen and how they are seen. Editor: It is compelling how a seemingly simple image holds layers of complex historical and social meaning. I’ll definitely see Evans’ work in a different light now. Curator: And hopefully consider whose perspectives are included or erased in similar artistic endeavors. The art, but also the discourse surrounding it, should be examined under an intersectional lens.