After reviewing the video posted by the Macon Telegraph about the significance of the tenant farmer and mule statue on former State Fair Grounds, I feel that it is a rather poor representation of Georgia history and values. While the author from Perry seems to believe that it is a significant monument to Georgia agriculture, based on the nature of it being located on state fair grounds, I think that there could have been more fitting representations of people or events to be celebrated there than that of the former population of mules as farming machines.

The State Fair Grounds are visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year and understanding the importance of a mule seems like a bit of a stretch when more significant things have certainly occurred throughout GA history. Fair grounds are typically a place for community and celebration. A tribute a significant politician or activist may have been more recognizable and appropriate because I unfortunately do not think the legacy of the mule is very recognizable or relatable to the modern remembrances of Georgia history. Likewise, a more notorious aspect of GA agriculture is that of slavery on plantations. By recognizing a mule and a white tenant and his son rather than the thousands of slaves who endured horrible treatment and labor conditions is further alluding to the priority of the white man over colored. It leaves out the history and story of a massive population of people who put in the same level (or more) of manual labor and physicality in to the agriculture of GA.

The assessment made by the author from Perry, which ends with an allusion to how the south has had some bad history, without specifying or recognizing any other populations, is basically a further effort to brush under the rug or cover up the real tragedy in the history of Georgia agriculture.

This image is of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on the Georgia College campus. Right off the bat, the image does not look particularly special or significant; it simply looks like your average, every-day family house. When I think of a house, I think of a home, somewhere full of love where I feel comfortable. The faded yellow paint and the columned front porch give the viewer the idea that the place is older and therefore contains a lot of memories and sentimentality. The fade could also give the idea that the house has been well-loved; the paint fades in a similar fashion as a beloved photograph that’s been folded or unfolded too many times. The location of the house (on a college campus) makes it clear that it is welcome to students, and the long gravel parking lot supports this idea. Outside of that, though, nothing in particular signals who this place is for. That is part of the beauty of the BCM house. It is a home at which no one in particular is welcome, and therefore everyone is- a spiritual home for one and all. 

I thought this mule statue was a very interesting thing to showcase. The Perry author obviously believes that the mule is significant to Georgia’s agriculture. He claimed that the men and mules who worked on the farms during the time of the civil war are responsible for much of the success of the South’s economy, especially in Georgia. The statue is bronze and a life-size representation of a mule plowing a field with a man and his son pushing the plow from behind. The view point of the man and boy is the mules rear which is what they would see for most of the day. This statue is a ” Reminder of an imperfect system and a “thank you to tenants who pulled the plows.” However, upon further visual analysis, this statue seems to celebrate the mule more than the man. It is all about the mules importance and how the agriculture and economy benefited, all the while seeming to drag the tenants through the mud, literally. it seemed to humiliate the people rather then honor them.

The Farmer also discusses his book that he wrote, “Tales From Georgia’s Gnat Line” which he says is about “The South he loved” which he goes on to say that it is honorable to highlight the differences among people and not make them all the same.” if he was arguing authenticity then maybe it would be a good argument, however, he was referring to the Civil War time period, so his statement could be taken as being racist.

I don’t think that the mule should be recognized at all as it only seems to put the people in a lesser light than even the mule. If they want to recognize the mules that one thing and they can by not putting people there. However, if they want to put both people and a mule in the image and only talk highly of the mule, it will is pretty degrading, to put it lightly. 

This image is of the inside of my friends’ house that I will be moving into in the summer. This place has had a very important place in my heart for the past few semesters. Particularly, last semester I had a five hour break between classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. I tried to use this time to go back to my apartment and get work done or take a power nap. However, I was never able to concentrate in my apartment and would end up waste that time doing nothing. I tried spending most of that time in the library, but I found my introverted self getting anxious spending that much time in the library surrounded by that many people for so long. So, instead of going to the library or my apartment, I went to the pictured house and spent time in the pictured living room.

This worked out for me for two major reasons, comfyness and security. To most people this room may look messy, maybe a little cramped, but these aspects all added to the comfort that I felt in this room. I am not a neat person myself, so this level of clutter (messy but not a disaster) actually made me feel more comfortable, like I was free to spread out a little bit and not ruin the serenity of the situation. Moreover, the room looks lived in, by people other than me. There are always at least two TVs in the room, with upwards of three gaming consoles and corresponding controllers stacked in the corner. Unlike in the library, I am not surrounded by strangers, I am surrounded by people who have similar interests, which helps my social anxiety and makes me feel more secure. Also, I am used to living by myself and I absolutely hate it, being in a room that is lived in by people other than myself makes me feel like I can take a break from being locked up in my apartment alone all the time. The dull colors of the room also make me feel more calm and comfortable, while the random decorations like the mannequin and handi-cap sign make me feel secure in the company of my friends. Also, when the Christmas lights hung across the ceiling are lit up, the dim lights give the room the right kind of calming vibe for getting light work done on a computer.

Places have their own ways of telling stories. Some of my favorite places in Milledgeville to marvel in are the grounds of the former state prison and insane asylum. If you are able to get close enough to the buildings, it is clear that there was a dark history here and it is exiting to fall in to the spooky mystery of the notorious abandoned properties.

In examination of the space in the photo above, the architectural arrangement of the tall, rusted metal fence with double layers of large shiny razor wire on top, roughly 50 yards from the solid brick buildings, communicates that the contents within the confines of the fence are meant to be isolated from the outside world. Outsiders look in on the chaotic overgrowth of plants, grass, and weeds in contrast with the large symmetrical buildings in what is now a quiet and eerie atmosphere. It suggests that the people within here would have been bad or a dangerous threat to those on the outside of the fence, but they were constrained and controlled. The green of the plants and red of the brick emphasize each other and seem to further convey this allusion of conformity vs. rebellion which relate to preexisting perceptions about prisons, as the hues are both working together to develop unity but also pushing against each other. In a space that is known to be abandoned, it communicates an unsettling feeling to viewers and incites curiosity about the experience, though those outside are never allowed to enter. And while it is now empty, it is clear that those inside would have been expected to look beyond the walls with reflection, introspection, and hope to again explore the wonders outside.

For my sixth mini blog post I decided to take a picture when I was home this weekend of a dog park that is in a park next to where I live. This park is very different from other dog parks because instead of having real grass it has turf. Underneath the turf there is has pipe system that drains water to a local sewer. The location is very specific in the park because it is the only field where dogs can play on. All the other parts of the park such as the baseball, soccer, and tennis courts are for humans only. This a place where all dogs, big or small can go play with all their local friends.

         The two-architectural element that I am pointing out in this photograph is the bridge with the bones, and the fire hydrant that has small water jets that shoot out of the ground. The bone bridge is very specific for dog use only considering it has two massive bones attached to it which is symbol for dogs. The fire hydrant is a stereotypical symbol for dogs because we as humans know that most dogs love water, also pee on fire hydrants. This as you can see is not your average dog park considering it cost taxpayers around $500,000 to build and took about two years to complete. The locals in the area call the park Wag-World because it is almost like a doggy Disney World where they can go play and run around with their friends. This area is very appealing to dogs because anyone who would walk up to it would know immediately that this is a dog park and not a playground for children. In my hometown the locals take pride in our park systems and utilize the amenities very often for both their children and dogs to go play and have a good time. If you are ever in Alpharetta and have your dog with you I would highly recommend bringing your dog to Wag-World!

For my mini-blog post, I decided to take a picture of a lounge room on the ground floor of Beeson Hall. I find this space unique and interesting because of its orientation, its location, but also because of its relation to the college body.

First, the location of this lounge area is on the ground floor of Beeson Hall, which is a hall containing Professors’ offices for Mass Comm, Spanish, and Physics (I think). It is a newer building that has recently been getting redesigned. The building does not experience a high traffic of students. This is because students usually only come here if they are going to see a professor. The lounge room is aligned in the dead center of the buiding, with halls, lined with offices, going out of both sides of the room. The front door to this building is located in this space, so students that do come into this building will usually do so through this door. Therefore, it is not the quietest or most ideal study space because it is an open room and the tables are more relaxing than ideal for setting up a laptop and studying.

There is also a nice chess set that I have never seen being used. There are two giant flat-screen T.V.’s set up on both sides of the room, but nothing of importance is every displayed on these T.V.’s. Usually the monitors are just black. It is interesting that this space is located so close to the center of campus, has such nice necessities, but nobody ever seems to make good use of this room. It almost seems unpractical in design.

The spatial orientation of this room is set up for students to be able to walk in through the front door and go through the center of the lounge area, then they will be able to go left or right down a hall. Therefore, there is a walkway for students and on both sides of this walkway are chairs and couches set up around small tables. There is a lot of room between the chairs and tables. It seems like nobody will be able to actually set something on the table because it is so spacious in this room. The television sets are not displayed in this image, but they seem oddly large and out of place for this room.

I associate Chick-fil-A with family, friends and I firmly believe it’s heaven on earth. Chick-fil-A, as an organization, prides itself on values that other “fast food” restaurants do not. They give back to their community and hold themselves to higher standards than somewhere like McDonald’s or Subway. I wish I had taken these pictures later on today (Thursday) because the Chick-fil-A in Milledgeville is well known for their BOGO night for college students every Thursday. I could guarantee that between 5-8 p.m. tonight, every single table will be filled with students and families.

The particular architectural element I’m pointing out in these images is the large wooden table in the middle of the restaurant’s dining room. This is meant for larger families or parties but it is different than the tables that occupy space elsewhere in the restaurant. This is a beautifully made wooden table, gifted to the franchise in hopes that friends and families will gather around it and enjoy their meals. This is not a typical thing in all Chick-fil-A’s, I at least have never seen a table like that in any other Chick-fil-A before (and I’ve been to quite a few, but haven’t we all). The table is right in the middle of the restaurant and is surrounded by smaller tables. There is a sense of community that this table portrays. I worked at this particular Chick-fil-A for a few months last year and there were countless times that I saw family get togethers of all ages and friend groups of all types at that table. It’s usually the loudest table, not just because it can fit the most people but because everyone was laughing and talking from one end to another. It’s as close to a family table that you’ll find in your own home in a restaurant that wants to make you feel like you are home and are with your family.

For this blog post, I decided to look specifically at the fountain area on campus to dissect the larger meaning of both the physical space as well as the culture of tabling. In these photos you can see that the fountain are is full of tables and tents with people handing out and/or fundraising for different events. To me, the fountain area is meant to be inviting and used as a place for students to gather. The circular shape and the walkway leading up to this area is an important part of the flow between buildings and give passers by the feeling of inclusion. Since 4 large buildings make up the space around the fountain, it can be presumed that most students walk within this space at least once a week, making it an epicenter. Tabling at Georgia College is such a large part of the culture at this school, and when it is done at the fountain area, it makes it feel as if it a welcoming environment. Although some find it overwhelming, it is a nice space on campus that allows different organizations and students to come together. If you do not belong to an organization, it is easy to feel unincluded, but many organizations table to recruit students to be join their club or participate in their activity.