www.carolinaclassifieds.com POST YOUR AD AT
Carolina C arrol olina
CLASSIFIEDS CL CLASSIF FIEDS.com
ADD PHOTOS & MORE! OR CALL
Our 32nd Year
828-248-1408
• Over 25,000 Weekly Readers
ISSUE NO. 41 • October 10, 2024 • RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408
YOUR CLASSIFIED AD RUNS IN 3 PAPERS!
Local artist work hangs in Livingstone Library By Jean Gordon. Photos contributed.
A Forest City watercolor artist and calligrapher, Donna Savolovic, was honored recently as a piece of her work, “Strange Fruit” now hangs in the Andrew Carnegie Library at Livingstone College in Salisbury. The road to the acceptance of “Strange Fruit” at Livingston College has an amazing story. Donna belongs to the Carolina Lettering Arts Society (CLAS), a calligraphy group with members from both North and South Carolina. In 2019-20 CLAS held an exhibit in Asheville with the “racial inequity” theme. “This interested me,” she began. “As I was searching for the correct words, I came upon a poem by Abel Meeropol written in 1937 called ‘Strange Fruit’ about the injustices committed against the black people. He also wrote the music for these words. Donna chose to write the powerful poem on canvas. “I chose to do the art on canvas
Watercolor artist with students from Livingstone.
in bold black and red acrylic using a profile of Billie Holliday and the words rising to the top depicting souls of the black suffering rising to heaven,” Donna said. (Holliday recorded the song in 1939.) The art was in the Asheville exhibit and later stored in CLAS possessions, Donna explained. “Covid came right after the exhibit, so meetings and workshops were on hold. I forgot about my art,” Donna said. Later she received a box in the mail. It was the same box she had mailed to the exhibit chairman in Asheville years earlier. “I opened it and to my surprise it contained this ‘Strange Fruit’ art. I immediately sent an email to the person who returned it, thanking them,” she said. Donna and her husband Chuck, who moved to Rutherford in 2012, are friends of John and Frankie McWhorter, formerly of Rutherfordton. John and Donna often painted together at the Rutherford Visual Artist Guild. During a visit to the McWhorters recently, Donna showed the art to them and they were quite impressed. Through Frankie’s tenacity she was able to find someone who knew someone associated with Livingstone College. “I had mentioned that I wanted to donate this art to someplace that would like to have it,” Donna said. “Thanks to Frankie it was directed to Laura Johnson, the administrator of the Andrew Carnegie Library in the
Appreciation award. Kieran Mouritsen, Gregory Hill, Donna Sabolovic, Laura Johnson, Jeffrey Cockerl, Kim Allman.
Livingstone library.” An appointment was set for Donna to take the art - a banner with image and calligraphy on canvas - to Johnson and it was accepted. A dedication and reception was held at the Andrew Carnegie Library at Livingstone College as Donna presented her art to Livingstone to become a part of the W.J. Walls Heritage Hall Archives and Museum. The art work is in the central part of the Carnegie Library near the circulation desk. In Strange Fruit by Donna Sabovolic. addition, other books and materials related to the requests of students and staff for song and Billie Holiday are on display. photographs with her. Guests included the community “We were part of a wonderful event at large, Trinity Oaks Senior Living today when a dear friend donated her Community, including the McWhorters, art to Livingstone College...We met John Calvin Presbyterian Church, and such gracious people including the the Rowan Racial Equity. In addition, College’s President, Director of Library attending were the entire library Services, a former interim president, staff, a representative of Historically staff, and a group of such wonderful Black Colleges and the NAACP, and Honors students from all over the two classes of Honor Class students country. It was a very meaningful day,” who have come to Livingstone from said Frankie McWhorter. all across the United States. Their instructor gave the art a historical perspective. Library Services Director Johnson welcomed those attending, thanked Southern trees bear strange fruit Sabolovic on behalf of Livingstone Blood on the leaves and blood at the root and herself. Upon request she read B lack bodies swinging in the southern breezze aloud the lyrics to the song “Strange Fruit”. Strange fruit hanging from the poplar treess Livingstone President Dr. Anthony Pastoral scene of the gallant south Davis also provided comments and The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth reminded all “if you do not know Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh history, it is bound to repeat itself.” Sabolovic spoke about her Then the sudden smell of burning flesh inspiration for the art and explained Here’s the fruit for the crows to pluck that as an appropriate hanger for the For the rain to gather, for the wind to suckk banner, she commissioned Ornaments to create a branch on which the art For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop hangs. Here’s a strange and bitter crop The dedication ended with a Written by Abel Meeropol in 1937 reception hosted by Livingstone. Recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 Sabolovic remained for autographs of Desisign De g by Do gn Donn nnaa M. Sab abol olov ovic ic in 20 2021 21 the event program and the numerous
MONETARY DONATIONS: Local organizations will use 100% of contributions for disaster relief in Rutherford County. Donations are tax-deductible. RHI Legacy Foundation will match the first $50,000 received www.rhilegacyfoundation.com. United Way of Rutherford County is accepting donations at www.unitedwayofrutherford.org
STRANGE FRUIT
VOLUNTEERS: The overwhelming support from volunteers has been truly inspiring. For continued opportunities, contact local churches and nonprofit organizations. Habitat for Humanity is still coordinating volunteers at the airport, where assistance is needed. Since October 2, 502 flights have delivered over 100,000 pounds of supplies to Rutherford County’s Marchman Field, which is now serving as a regional distribution hub.