The Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee receives gifted artwork
Published 11:43 am Wednesday, November 26, 2025
The Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee, Inc. received a significant gift from longtime supporter and art collector, Joan Groover of Atlanta. It is a stirring oil painting by West Point Georgia native Lorenzo Scott, shown in photo with painting. Born in 1934, Scott is a self-taught vernacular artist whose works are housed in art galleries and museums across the country including the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., The Metropolitan Museum of New York, and Georgia’s own High Museum of Art in Atlanta. His work continues to be sought after by art collectors throughout the country and abroad.
The gift was presented over coffee at Café Campesino with local supporters and owners Tripp Pomeroy and Matt Early. Scott’s painting will join other donated works of art that will be housed in the Permanent Collection Gallery of the Americus-Sumter County Civil Rights and Cultural Center, now being constructed at the Historic Americus Colored Hospital on J.R. Campbell Street.
During the brief ceremony, ASCMRC Chairman, Sam Mahone emphasized the committee’s efforts to secure more support from the community. “We invite others to look through their own family collections and consider donating art, books and photos, 19th and 20th century handmade quilts, tools, housewares and artifacts with a compelling story behind them. The Center will continue to welcome donations that honor our collective experiences while reflecting the diversity, struggle and aspirations during the racially segregated Jim Crow era in Southwest Georgia. Crucial items we are seeking include documents from the Americus Civil Rights Movement (1962-1966), records of local African American owned businesses of Cotton Avenue and beyond, newspaper articles, books on civil and human rights, 1940-1950’s era midwifery kit and doctor’s medical tools, hospital patient room iron radiator, etc. Each contribution adds another voice to our collective story”.
To learn more about making a donation, contact ASCMRC Co-Chair Jerutha Scott at (229) 939-0557 or email: jerbre56@gmail.com. OR Sam Mahone at (404)781-5459. Email at: s.mahone9945@comcast.net
