nonfiction
autumn/winter 2018
Vine City Through the Ground Glass
by Rose Smith
"Chestnut Street" from the Inner City Urban Series: Vine City by Rose Smith
Vine City was once a vibrant and thriving community during the Civil Rights Movement. It was home to Dr. King, Joseph Boone, Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew Young. It later became a blighted working-class residence that now sits in the shadows of the Mercedes Benz Stadium. The new stadium, which is also the Atlanta Falcons new home, was an upgrade from the former Georgia Dome. Although it has created controversy and concerns for residents in the surrounding area, it was built to complement recent modern architectural structures erected around the city, and to highlight the innovation the city is embracing.
"Sunset Avenue" from the Inner City Urban Series: Vine City by Rose Smith
The injustices Atlanta residents experienced leading up to the Centennial Olympics in 1996, returned with the development of the Benz stadium. I saw this as an opportunity to create a visual narrative through photography to discuss socioeconomics, and to begin making photographic archives of a historic community. The selected residents of Vine City included in my series express what makes their neighborhood feel like home. However, with the construction in progress in the surrounding area, the comforts of their home are quickly vanishing. With urban redevelopment happening rapidly throughout the city, they are concerned about displacement, but are hopeful that elected city officials will uphold Atlanta’s motto and continue leading as “A city that is too busy to hate."
- Rose Smith
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Stay connected with Rose Smith on IG @c.rosesmith, Twitter @c_rosesmith, and at her website: http://crosesmith.com.
