“ Using art to deliver a message , as well as being passionate , one of them was importance of the family . Therefore she made statues of mothers-in-law , grandmothers and children . There was a cupid statue of a husband and wife and there was a divorcee statue ,” she said . “ She truly showed the unification of male and female . She showed solidarity . She was saying , ‘ hey , we ’ re here , we ’ re important and we ’ re a key part of the success of America .’”
According to Dean , Forester was a trailblazer for a number of reasons , beyond her indelible mark she left with her murals and pieces of art .
“ So currently the museum is on the National Registry of Historic Places for Art and for Women ’ s History ,” Dean said . “ The reason why it ’ s so incredible for women ’ s history is that Laura did make murals . They ’ re around the house . She was self-taught . She didn ’ t go to art college . She was a trailblazer in women ’ s rights .”
Forester broke barriers that were uncommon in the time period , such as owning property , having her own checking account , which were simply unheard of at the time , according to Dean .
“ When she was doing this stuff , Georgia women were not allowed to own property and yet she did ,” she said . “ They weren ’ t supposed to have their own checking account . We ’ re in the middle of creating an art exhibit
with original checks , signed by her and that her husband ’ s name wasn ’ t even on the account , neither her first husband or second husband .”
Her effort to show the strength and value of women , held back by the culture of the time , was inspiration according to the museum ’ s director .
“ So she was able to have her own bank account . She owned the property and the store , and so , to create an art environment that was such a strong tourist attraction , and to do it as a woman in a time period even before they got the right to vote , was just inspirational ,” Dean said .
Born in Spence and married at 21 , Forester lived her whole life within 15 miles of the site , according to Dean , with the only exception being her trip to Atlanta .
“ She was born , lived and died all within 15 miles of this site ,” “ In fact , the only time she ever traveled more than 15 miles from the site we are on , is when she went to Atlanta . And she acknowledges that in one of her final letters , a few months before she died .”
12 Spring 2023 | Thomasville Scene