Strictly Personal
Date2003
MediumNewsprint paper
Dimensions3 1/8 × 7 5/16 inches (7.9 × 18.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the estate of Ronald J. Strahan.
Object number2009.11.7
Copyright© Marcus Kenney.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThis scroll uses text from an October 23, 1961 issue of The Augusta Courier newspaper. Although only a small section of the scroll is unrolled, the legible red and black words reveal the politically and racially-motivated narrative featured in the pages of the paper. The article titled “Strictly Personal” argued for the segregation of the school system. By appropriating those words, Kenney forces a confrontation with the racist propaganda of the past. In its use of materials, the work also speaks to Kenney’s interest in discarded items. Having lost all his own belongings in a fire as a teenager, Kenney became “obsessed with rescuing others, albeit from through the dump or the side of the road.” The desire to rescue and collect and expose and uncover is a recurring thread throughout his work.
Text written for Rotation 8 Complex Uncertainties, February 15-October 18, 2020.
