This hand drawn and painted panel is from my graphic nonfiction book "What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel". Norman Baker framed institutions as corrupt enemies and exploited the desperate, offering false hope for profit. His use of charisma, divisive rhetoric, media manipulation, and disinformation mirrors the tactics of modern authoritarians, a stark reminder of how easily truth can be distorted to exploit the vulnerable for personal gain.
“FOR REAL” DUO EXHIBITION AT HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM
Be sure to check out this exhibition before it closes on May 25, 2025, in the Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists at the Historic Arkansas Museum.
Graphic nonfiction blends the visual storytelling of comics with the depth of literature.
Fayetteville artist and author Sean Fitzgibbon explores eerie histories through hand-painted panels. His latest book, What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel, uncovers the chilling story of the Baker Hospital, a Depression-era cancer clinic run by conman Norman Baker.
Little Rock artist and educator Kasten Searles uses digital and traditional media to tell personal nonfiction stories. Her latest project captures the devastation and resilience following the March 31, 2023, tornado in Little Rock.
Copies of What Follows Is True are available in the HAM Museum Store. Fitzgibbon’s next book will explore the Plum Bayou Mounds.
Special thanks to Curator of Exhibits Carey Voss.
Historic Arkansas Museum • 200 E. Third St, Little Rock
AUTHOR TALK HOLIDAY ISLAND ROTARY CLUB
Join artist and author Sean Fitzgibbon at the Rotary Club of Holiday Island for a discussion about his book, What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel. This fully painted graphic nonfiction explores the eerie history of the Crescent Hotel’s time as the fraudulent Baker Hospital.
Blending oral histories, newspaper articles, and Norman Baker’s own writings, the book reveals a chilling true story and the complexity of real-life villains. It earned a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, calling it "a gripping, moody, illustrated chronicle."
Books will be available for purchase. Special thanks to Peggy Lodewyky.
May 8:30 • 9:30 AM • Grace Lutheran Church, (lower level) • 179 Holiday Island Drive, Holiday Island, AR. • 116 E. 3rd Street • Russellville, Arkansas
