Artist Andrew Sabori and National Archives Presenter James McSweeney will participate in a special reception at 6 p.m. on April 19 in Ernest Edwards Hall at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College as a part of the mural exhibition titled “Coming to America—The Immigrant Experience Featuring the Lost Mural of Ellis Island.”

The 85-foot mural by Sabori is a reproduction of the 200-foot mural titled “The Role of the Immigrant in the Industrial Development of America” which was created circa 1935 by Edward Laning as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. Sabori’s mural has been on display in Edwards Hall since Jan. 18 and will continue to be displayed through the end of the spring semester on May 4.

Sabori and Roberta Sabori conceived the idea for their project when they visited Ellis Island in the New York harbor in 2003. Roberta Sabori examined a photo of the Laning mural in the Ellis Island dining hall. The beautiful work of art was known only to the immigrants passing through Ellis Island since its location was off limits to the public.

When Ellis Island closed in 1954, much of the original mural was lost after a violent storm damaged the building. Following painstaking research, Sabori began painting his reproduction of the Laning mural in 2008.

In addition to the beautiful mural, the exhibit includes Sabori’s original portraits of 35 significant immigrants and facsimiles of relevant documents from the National Archives including passenger arrival lists, census records, draft registration cards, and naturalization petitions.

Three ABAC faculty members presented lectures pertaining to the mural during the spring semester. Lecturers included Dr. John Vanzo on “Malanija Knavs and the Right Way to Come to America,” Dr. Elizabeth Medley on “Rise of the Resistance: Immigrant Women’s Political Activism from Ellis Island to the Modern Era,” and Dr. Russell Pryor on “Fried Chicken, Spaghetti, and Tacos: Mass Migration and the All-American Meal.”

There is no charge to visit the mural or attend the reception. Edwards Hall is open from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Fridays.