Hammond's House Museum Solo Exhibition "Insight: Body as Artifact, Archive and Memory

Atlanta's Hammonds House Museum Celebrates its 35th Anniversary in 2023.

First Exhibition Features Works by Atlanta Native, Photo-based Artist Tokie Rome-Taylor

Feb 3- April 2nd 2023

Prolific Atlanta photo-based artist Tokie Rome-Taylor leads off the quarterly exhibition schedule for 2023, celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Hammonds House Museum in Atlanta's West End. The exhibition's opening night is Friday, February 3rd and will be on view until April 2nd. On February 23, there will be a Gallery Tour, as well as a not-to-miss Artist Talk with Rome-Taylor and  Nitzanah Griffin.

Rome-Taylor's large scaled portraits of children explore themes of time, spirituality, and identity. Her subjects, including her own children, seem to step out from the past of an alternate reality. The exhibition, “Insight: Body as Artifact, Archive, and Memory” explores the visual reminders of memory, weaving the threads of history both real and reimagined. Insight of memory plays upon the notion of gaining insight into the history that is contained within family, cultural, and spiritual artifacts, allowing for the exploration of two worlds: the actual and the possible.

Rome-Taylor’s expansive exhibition record includes national and international exhibitions. She has shown with Atlanta Contemporary, the Fralin Museum, the Chicago Museum for Innovation and Technology, The Southeastern Museum of Photography, The Griffin Museum of Photography, SP-Foto SP-Arte Fair in São Paulo, Brazil, and the Zuckerman Museum of Art, amongst others. Her work is held in multiple public and private collections including the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, The Fralin Museum at University of Virginia, and the Southeastern Museum of Photography. Her book “Reclamation” is currently available on her website, www.tokietaylorstudio.com .

Rome-Taylor, a product of Atlanta Public Schools, has been an educator for over 23 years and works as an Arts instructor and Department Chair at South Atlanta High School. "Being an artist is as important to me as being an art educator. I try to create a love of the arts and share how creative talents can be applied and extended to any profession my students choose. As a successful working artist I am demonstrating to them that students who graduate from public high schools can choose creative endeavors and that monetizing their talents is achievable," said Rome-Taylor.

How does Rome-Taylor generate ideas for her works and put children at ease in front of her camera? How does she explore history, materiality and family heritage? This and many other questions about her creative processes can be answered on February 23rd.

The Hammonds House Museum is a historical venue located at 503 Peeples Street SW in Atlanta's West End neighborhood. Its home is in the 1857 Victorian house that was the former residence of Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, a prominent Atlanta physician and patron of the arts. Visit the museum's website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more info.