Flora and fauna elements have always been integral to Marryam Moma's vibrant visual stories and analog collage practice. In ICONoclasts, flora elements intricately connect to the personal narratives shared by the icons in interviews with Moma.

The Snowball Viburnum foliage in Ricci de Forest's collage grows natively in Cleveland, OH, right in front of the foster home where de Forest lived. The blue Dayflower in Alice Lovelace's collage, a Georgia native plant that blooms for just one day, mirrors Lovelace's early poetic practice of live recitations, capturing the essence of being present to experience her words. The Atlanta-native Rugosa Rose in Sue Ross's collage symbolizes her five decades of documenting Atlanta's Black community through thousands of candid photos of everyday people, activists, and musicians. The Red Columbine flower in Dr. Doris Derby's collage thrives in Mississippi's short springs and long hot summers, representing Dr. Derby's nine-year documentation of Black lives in Mississippi. Moma's use of floral elements goes beyond mere aesthetics, weaving in aspects of her subjects' lives that are deeply intrinsic to their stories.

John Wesley Dobbs

Often referred to as the unofficial mayor of Auburn Avenue, John Wesley Dobbs was one of several African American civic and political leaders who worked to achieve racial equality in segregated Atlanta during the first half of the twentieth century.

Dobbs was born March 26, 1882 in Marietta, Georgia to Minnie and Will Dobbs and grew up in poverty on a farm near Kennesaw. In 1897, at the age of fifteen, Dobbs moved to Atlanta, where he pursued his education at Atlanta Baptist College (later Morehouse College). Though he never earned a degree, he continued his studies independently and passed a civil service exam in 1903, allowing him to become a railway mail clerk for the U.S. Post Office in Atlanta – a position he held for 32 years.

In 1906, Dobbs married Irene Ophelia Thompson, and they had six daughters, all of whom graduated from Spelman College. Then in 1911, J. W. Dobbs became a member of the Prince Hall Masons. In 1932, he was elected Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masons (a post he held for the rest of his life) earning him the nickname, “The Grand.”

Dobbs fervently believed that African American suffrage was the key to racial advancement. He announced a goal of registering 10,000 Black voters in Atlanta and preached the importance of voter registration in Masonic halls, in African American churches, and on street corners. Dobbs also founded the Atlanta Civic and Political League in 1936 and, with attorney A. T. Walden, cofounded the Atlanta Negro Voters League in 1946.

Video by Sam Bentley

RICCI DE FOREST

Ricci de Forest (pronounced REE–see), also known professionally as Ricci International (the "Acoustical Dandy"), is a hair stylist, beauty educator, and proprietor of the Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Shoppe and WERDStudio museum.

Ricci hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where he was raised in the foster care system from age 5 through 12. One day, one of Ricci's elementary school teachers noticed his creative capabilities and remarked, "Ricky [as he was known at the time], you're going to be another Mr. John." Ricci, unaware of who Mr. John was, researched the name and discovered Mr. John to be a renowned milliner. As reported in Mr. John's New York Times obituary, "in the 1940s and 1950s, the name Mr. John was as famous in the world of hats as Christian Dior was in the realm of haute couture."

Ricci began exploring other design innovators and fell in love with fashion. A girlfriend at the time submitted his name to a design school in Los Angles and soon Ricci found himself in the City of Angels studying fashion. But there was tuition to pay. When he ventured into a local department store, he watched a make-up artist there and thought to himself, "I can do that!" He put together a resume and was hired by Bullock's, a luxury department store on Wilshire Boulevard. Two weeks later, Ricci left design school and became a full-time make-up artist.

Founded in 1980 by Coretta Scott King, Christine King Farris and John Cox, HDDC is one of Atlanta’s oldest surviving community development corporations and the only non-profit organization specifically dedicated to preserving the availability of affordable housing in the Old Fourth Ward district. For nearly four decades, HDDC has been a catalyst for equitable urban revitalization in Atlanta. HDDC is proud to serve as the bridge between Sweet Auburn’s storied past and the Old Fourth Ward’s bright future. Founded to protect the residential assets surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth site on Auburn Avenue, HDDC has demonstrated a concrete track record of success.

THE HERNDON PLAZA PROJECT

Located at 142 Auburn Avenue NE, The Herndon Plaza project pays homage to one of our great heroes of Sweet Auburn, businessman and philanthropist - Alonzo F. Herndon. 

As one of the most iconic buildings associated with the golden age of Sweet Auburn, HDDC is historically preserving Herndon Plaza. It is planned to host, among other uses, a museum celebrating black culture and its influence on Atlanta's history.