When Shanequa Gay thinks of her Atlanta, she envisions old school Crown Vics and Cadillacs painted with brand logos and rolling on 24-inch spinners.She remembers the '90s-era Black college student spring break celebration, Freaknik. She laughs reminiscing about trips to The Mall West End, which she affectionately calls the United States of Black People. However, the Atlanta of Gay's youth is much changed.
As the City in a Forest becomes the Hollywood of the South, multimillion-dollar mixed-use developments have replaced historically Black communities. Gay, 44, spent her early childhood on the south side of the city. When she was in second grade, her family moved to Riverdale in nearby Clayton County. At the time, the now predominantly Black area was mostly white, and Gay recalls feeling like Dorothy in "The Wiz." But over time, like Dorothy, Gay adapted, listening to heavy metal and adding films such as "The Breakfast Club" to her pop culture lexicon.
Reconciling her love of a bygone Atlanta and her experience of girlhood has become the focus of Gay's recent work. In her collection, "The Beautiful Tale of Atlannahland," her enchantment with the city as an urban playground and her affinity for incorporating fauna in her work coalesce. Little girls, whose faces are represented by zebras, wear crowns composed of the remnants of old Atlanta. The crowns are adorned with peaches, watermelons, and images of the city's first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson, as well as the Pink Pig ride at Rich's department store, Blue Magic hair grease, and hot Cheetos.
