Macon Magazine

ABOVE The Redd archives show art as being central to their family life. Submitted courtesy of the Redd family. LEFT These unusual vintage pieces are part of curator Johnny Cohen's collection. O ur inclination when considering a piece of art is to focus on the creator and the fi nished product. But the work was made to inhabit space someplace. In this story, Macon Magazine shares how a family and one local individual chose to enhance their lives as they also educate, stimulate, and cultivate Central Georgia communities through the art of colle cting. T h e m i r a c u l o u s p a t h w a y s a n d p r e s e r v a t i o n o f a f a m i l y c o l l e c t i o n In the 1980s, Mel Redd and her husband, Vernon, of Macon decided to invest in art that refl ected their cultural identity and the Black experience to decorate their home. An exhaustive search to fi nd something locally yielded nothing they were looking for. That's how and why they opened Miracles Fine Art Gallery. "At one point, we joked to ourselves, 'It would be a miracle to fi nd what we're looking for,'" said Mel. That off handed comment sparked another thought: If they couldn't fi nd the kind of space they were looking for, why not create it themselves? What began as a family conversation manifested for the Redds in 1991 as a fl ourishing brick-and-mortar art business in's Bloomfi eld Shopping Center. The emphasis was on showcasing the works of Black artists. In the process of operating the gallery, the family's personal collection grew to more than 800 works, including paintings, sculptures, masks, mixed- media works, and woven fabrics. Mel says, looking back, she believes the art was a sound decision. "The collection surrounded our children with the creativity and accomplishments of Black artists, and taught them that Black art was something worthy of study, preservation, investment, and celebration." Her husband, Vernon, agreed. "Art documents history, preserves culture, interprets the experiences of people, and allows one generation to communicate something about itself to the generations that follow." If asked, most collectors would admit that there is a connection between them and the art they've invested in. Mel says each of the pieces they've gathered speaks to her for diff erent reasons. Some have historical signifi cance. Some remind her of a particular artist, experience, or period in her family's lives. Others touch something more personal involving family, identity, memory, or hope. "After living with these works for so many years, they are not simply objects we acquired. Each one carries a memory and has a story," she said. Like Jacob Lawrence's The Builders 1974 (The Family), which depicts a man, woman, and their two children walking hand in hand past a construction site. In it, Mel says she sees ideas of family unity and forward movement — which mirrors her husband and two adult children, Marques Redd and Marquita Redd Sams, both of whom have benefi ted from assisting

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