The late Dr. Abigail H. Jordan (1925-2019), who led the decade-long battle to erect the African-American Family Monument in Savannah, Georgia, and who in 1991 founded the Consortium of Doctors, was duly honored in the city July 25-28, 2019,  with the unveiling of a new plaque for the monument and other noted events celebrating her legacy.
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Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach, along with Dr. Jordan's son, Atlanta businessman Ken Jordan, and members of the Consortium of Doctors all participated in the historic event. Mr. Jordan noted the new plaque corrected the previous omission not only of his mother's name, but that of sculptress Dorothy Spradley, also present for the unveiling. 

​The occasion marked the Consortium's 28th conference anniversary. A television cameraman  and crowd of excited onlookers recorded videos, took photographs, and applauded as the covering was removed from the new plaque.

​One key component to the weekend of festivities was the artwork by Aberjhani titled "Historic Triumph of Dr. Abigail Jordan," a multimedia composition which includes original interpretations of images of Abigail H. Jordan and the African-American Monument combined with original abstract art. The piece was used on large framable cards, a poster, a tapestry draping the speaker’s podium at the Bouquet of Doctors banquet in the DeSoto Hotel, and on the cover of the banquet program. The artwork, according to various attendees, evoked a strong sense of Dr. Jordan's spiritual presence. 

​​In addition to the unveiling of the new plaque and the Bouquet of Doctors Banquet (for induction of new Consortium members), conference events included a Think Tank session held at the historic First African Baptist Church and a Youth Summit at Savannah's famous Beach Institute. Among the attendees at the banquet was former Savannah mayor Edna Jackson, who was presented with a special award.
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For more information on the Consortium of Doctors please visit: https://www.consortiumofdoctors.com/

Bright Skylark News Notes  

Highly successful contemporary artists such as Banksy and Ai Weiwei have repeatedly demonstrated art's ability to simultaneously celebrate beauty and champion social justice. Citing volatile conditions around the world, American artist Aberjhani has continued the tradition of merging social and political awareness with daring aesthetics in new additions to his "Kaleidoscope Moons for Children Gone Too Soon" and "Breaking the Gridlock of Hate" art series.

The new releases are:
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"City of Lights - Kaleidoscope Moon for Children Gone Too Soon Number 6.”
And: "Kiss of the Eclipse - Breaking the Gridlock of Hate Number 4." 

no The artist shared this inspiration behind the new works on the product page for "Kiss of the Eclipse - Breaking the Gridlock of Hate Number 4":

"I had stepped back from posting additional images online for this series in order to develop more fully the Kaleidoscope Moons collection. However, I realized how closely the two are connected when I heard a young man lamenting the shooting death of a teen-age rapper and blaming it mostly on 'so much hate in Savannah (Georgia, USA).'

"So I'm now attempting a more balanced approach to the creation of different canvases dedicated to different themes. From my perspective, there can be doubt that one of the most important is convincing ourselves that we can acknowledge disagreements without drawing guns, firing missiles, poisoning diplomats, or shutting down governments."

You can check out the latest Breaking the Gridlock of Hate gallery here: Breaking the Gridlock.
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Bright Skylark News Notes

(International) --Tackling head-on the sensitive issue of children's lives lost to extreme violence, international artist Aberjhani kicked off the 2019 art season with the launch of the provocative new series, "Kaleidoscope Moons for Children Gone Too Soon."

The series successfully combines themes of social and environmental justice with aesthetics of highly-appealing formats and styles to confront one of the most disturbing concerns of modern times. It kicked off with 3 canvases and a special series gallery posted on Fine Art America/Pixels. The gallery can be found on this page: Kaleidoscope Moons.

The posted canvases are numbered but each also has an individual title. Number 1 is "Ascension," number 2 ", and number 3 "Intensified." Product pages each carry a description of the specific artwork but also contain the following description by the artist of the new series: 

"During the holiday season some years ago, I lost a niece and nephew to extreme violence and chose to honor their lives by naming a Christmas tree after them. It was my way of gifting them the joy of which they had been robbed. The new Kaleidoscope Moons Series is an extension of that tradition in honor of children lost to such violence around the world as we move forward into 2019. It is also an expression of standing in solidarity with families who have endured these losses as they adjust to something from which they are unlikely to ever fully recover. Therefore, in lieu of a Christmas tree: the Kaleidoscope Moons Series. 

“Specifically:  The news out of Houston, Texas (USA) was particularly gruesome upon learning that 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes had been shot and killed while in a car with her family the morning before New Year's Eve. Her mother, LaPorsha Washington, was also shot but survived along with 3 other daughters. In my hometown of Savannah, Georgia, an up-and-coming 17-year-old rapper named Tyrese Carter and a 20-year-old named Jamar Davis Jr. were shot dead within 24 hours after the New Year got underway.

“The family of one gun violence victim, former university student Rebecca Foley killed 6 years ago in Savannah, announced plans to fight back. They are suing, to the tune of $35 million, the owners of the apartment complex where Ms. Foley was killed for the "inadequate security" they feel contributed to her death.

“Obviously art cannot bring back any of our loved ones lost to senseless violence. But for those who did not get their chance to establish mega-stardom and document their passage on this journey we call life, the Kaleidoscope Moons Series can testify on their behalf. It can proclaim they were here and their lives were as deserving of celebration and remembrance as anyone's."

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Bright Skylark Artnotes