This thesis seeks to highlight the legacy of artist Dox Thrash as singular and crucial to Philadelphia’s historical narrative. This legacy includes not only his artwork, but the impact he made on the community around him, as well as the physical structure of his home on Cecil B. Moore Avenue. By examining the great oeuvre of Thrash’s artwork, this thesis argues that it is in need of recognition beyond what it has already received: not only because of the merit of the work, but because of the rarity of his perspective. Thrash depicted African American life in America with dignity and intimacy as a Black man at a time when the only mainstream representations currently circulating were in the form of caricatures and other insensitive portrayals by white artists. His work acts as a keystone to contextualize the Black experience in Philadelphia during the Jazz Era, even though the connection to that time has been seemingly under attack in this city.Sharswood, the neighborhood where Dox Thrash lived, was once a center of Black life, but has been dismantled and degraded by the effects of redlining. The state of his derelict home is emblematic of this, as it currently is marked with a historical placard from the city but did not have any preservation done to the structure. That is until the Dox Thrash House Project, a group of passionate volunteers, began to fundraise and raise awareness to save Thrash’s home. The work being done by the Dox Thrash House Project inspired this thesis as they have fought to bring Thrash’s home back to life through preservation. This thesis tackles the contextualization of the treatment of Thrash’s legacy within the current landscape of both art history and preservation in Philadelphia. / Art History / This thesis contains supplemental material that was not uploaded due to copyright restrictions. If you need to access the material, please contact the author directly. Accompanied by 1 PDF file: MalandraMyers_temple_0225M_171/List-of-figures.pdf
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/7740 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Malandra-Myers, Sam A. |
| Contributors | Newman, Rachel Grace, Modigliani, Leah, 1970- |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 45 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/7712, Theses and Dissertations |
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