God’s Battle Axe
Sauda Mitchell, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
2023. Edition of 5.
God’s Battle Axe, pays homage to Zora Neale Hurston’s inspiration and creative process for her last unpublished manuscript ‘Herod the Great’. Through research of the Zora Neale Hurston Papers, (in particular, Hurston’s sketch book for ‘Herod’) at George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, and published works that reveal the influences of religion in her early life, this work is an ode to Zora Neale Hurston’s courage to deviate from her accepted canonical work.
The enclosure for God’s Battle Axe seeks to capture the essence of Zora’s impeccable fashion as can be seen through examination of the Zora Neale Hurston Papers (MS 006) photographic collection. Through the use of materiality, the application of multiple mediums, and the conception of religious reliquaries, this work reimagines Zora’s vision for the environment, historic setting, and years of research resulting in her six volume manuscript for ‘Herod the Great’.
Through an embedded QR code, God’s Battle Axe, links to Zora’s 1955 handwritten and signed letter to Margrit Sabloniere in which she describes ‘ Life of Herod the Great’ as such.. “ I am trying something more difficult than ever before.” [Hurston,Z.N. Handwritten Letter], Zora Neale Hurston Papers, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Size:
Dimensions: 7” x 10” x 6” H
Weight:
4.5 pounds
Media:
Wood, concrete, caulk, pigments (water color, pen and ink, acrylic), textile (velvet), faux ostrich feathers, artifacts (vintage brooch), glass (mosaic tiles), linoleum, printmaking ink, paper, black and white archival photo prints.
Sauda Mitchell is a community leader, certified archivist, educator, and multidisciplinary artist with over 20 years of engagement with the arts, libraries, and diverse communities. Through primary source research, Sauda’s work focuses on utilizing printmaking and QR code technology as a creative non-traditional access method, linking viewers to archival repositories, curated exhibitions, and aggregated data. Each work serves as a visual response to archival collection materials representative of the many stories that can be found deep within the archival landscape.
Sauda serves as the Director of the Painting Drawing and Printmaking Department at the Sawtooth School of Visual Art in Winston Salem N.C. where she develops high quality visual arts programming, curricula, workshops and events. Sauda is an adjunct instructor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Buffalo, where she teaches students the methodology of how to teach with primary sources. Mitchell is currently a doctoral student at Drexel University in the Educational Leadership and Management Program. Her research centers around marginalized student access to archives based engagement in support of cultural competence and primary source critical analysis, as a catalyst for elevated cognitive development.
Select works are currently held in the permanent collections of the SCAD Museum of Art, Harvard University, Smithsonian Libraries, and The Library of Congress. You can view more of Sauda’s work at her website.
April 20, 2023: Public presentation for Sauda Mitchell’s artist’s book, God’s Battle Axe.
George A Smather’s Libraries, University of Florida, Scott Nygren Studio, Library West.
