NYC Urban Sketchers Blog

SATURDAY:  Sketch Savannah - 

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates 

in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Hosted by Marion Hammon

Sketching Savannah: Exploring the History and Mystery of Georgia’s Oldest City

Savannah, GA is a sketcher’s paradise. A highly walkable city, it is renowned for its charming
public squares, gorgeous historic mansions, towering live oaks trailing Spanish moss, a fabulous
food scene, and a thriving seaport that dates to the city’s founding in the early 1700s. Savannah
has played a role in many turbulent chapters of American history, including the Revolutionary
War, Civil War, slavery and the cotton trade.

More recently, it’s been famous as the setting of the true crime bestseller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and as the site of classic Tom Hanks scenes (“Life is like a box of chocolates”) in Forrest Gump. Join us for a leisurely sketch tour to discover some the history and mysteries of Savannah (including the story of a distinctive regional color, and the surprising social prestige of a certain type of fruit).

MORNING
We’ll begin the day by exploring the verdant squares and beautiful mansions of Savannah’s
Historic District.

Mercer House (429 Bull Street) can be our starting point in Google Maps to virtually “walk
around” the area in Google maps and find good sketching spots:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/429+Bull+St,+Savannah,+GA+31401/@32.0712634,-
81.0952227,17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x88fb9e6985fe8d69:0xfcd33063b14281ac!2s429+Bu
ll+St,+Savannah,+GA+31401!3b1!8m2!3d32.071375!4d-
81.095454!3m4!1s0x88fb9e6985fe8d69:0xfcd33063b14281ac!8m2!3d32.071375!4d-81.095454

If virtually walking around in Google maps doesn’t grab you (after all, it’s really hot and humid
in Savannah in July!), skip Google Maps and find inspiration from these links:
https://www.savannah.com/savannahs-historic-squares/
https://www.savannah.com/houses-with-history/
https://gallivantertours.com/savannah/forsyth-park/
https://www.telfair.org/visit/owens-thomas/
http://stjohnssav.org/worship/visit/green-meldrim-house/

Squares and historic homes Google images (all Creative Commons license)


AFTERNOON
In the afternoon, we’ll check out the edges of Savannah and beyond, with lots to sketch around
the River Street waterfront area and in the atmospheric Bonaventure Cemetery (which made a
cameo appearance in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) a few miles from the center of
town.

Waterfront history and River Street area:
https://www.savannah.com/savannahs-historic-monuments-on-river-street/

River Street Google images (Creative Commons license)
https://www.shipsofthesea.org/ 

Bonaventure Cemetery: Google Images
https://www.google.com/search?q=savannah+georgia+bonaventure+cemetery&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi0_9Xz5NfqAhWrGd8KHVccDfEQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=savannah+georgia+bonaven&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgIIADoGCAAQCBAeOgQIABAYUPzYXli6315goOxeaABwAHgAgAFMiAHAA5IBATeYAQCgAQG

Bonaventure Cemetery Flickr images (Creative Commons license)
https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=66129316%40N00&view_all=1&text=bonaventure&license=2%2C3%2C4%2C5%2C6%2C9 


TO REGISTER:
Click this link to register:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/saturday-sketch-savannah-tickets-115250697940

Note:  Registration closes on Friday at noon
The event starts on Saturday August 1, 2020 at 10 AM EDT