STATESBORO, Ga.,(WSAV)- One statesboro man is using his life experiences and civil rights struggles as a back drop for his art, as apart of his “In The Wake” exhibit at the Averitt Center for the Arts.

It’s the drawing of lines that then turn into pieces of art. John Givens has been creating artwork for nearly 30 years and they are now on display.

Some of the work depict his life growing up as the son of a sharecropper, while others show the struggles during the civil rights movement.

“I had to paint something about it because it was something that I wanted to do because it was important to me. I thought I would preserve this moment forever,” Givens said.

Some are painful moments in African American history like people being sprayed with water hoses or paintings showing lynchings. He said that was the reality of growing up in the south during the 50s and 60s.

“We knew that there was lynchings we knew that it was the KKK nearby, you know, we knew that. People aren’t supposed to be lynched because they’re black,” Givens explained.

Givens said he’s glad people can get a glimpse of history through his artwork. It’s also why he feels like Martin Luther King Jr. day is important, so people know where they’ve come from and how much we’ve progressed.

“MLK day is important for the black people because it still reminds them of the struggles that we are known to have because we are black people,” Givens said.

Givens pieces will be on display until March second.

