On West Broad Street in Savannah, Georgia, there is a building that holds two moments in time—and connects them in a deeply moving way.
In 1921, this very place was Candy Cook, the pastry shop of my grandfather, Apostolos Evagelinou. It was a space of everyday life and shared presence for immigrants arriving from Europe and Africa, at a time that was difficult and dangerous.
Today, the same building on West Broad Street is a Civil Rights Museum. And within its rooms, my artworks are being hosted alongside the story of my grandfather, Apostolos Evagelinou—as if returning to their place of origin, but with new meaning: as memory, testimony, and continuity.
The idea that a space once shaped by the daily lives of immigrants—their needs and their anxieties—has become a place dedicated to human rights reminds me that places are never neutral. They carry traces. And sometimes, those traces ask to be told.
I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Museum’s Director, Vaughnette Goode-Walker—a distinguished historian and author—for the hospitality and support that made this journey possible.
