By Adam Mauldin
Intern with MyTown Magazine
 
Macon’s own William Segal was a magazine publisher, artist, and philosopher who chose to lead a life of quiet introspection.  He asked himself, “Who am I?” and remained determined to find the
 
answer for the entirety of his life. His philosophy was in the same vein as Henry D. Thoreau, who wished to live deliberately.  He believed that every action should have meaning, and every thought substance.  To William Segal, the world was beautiful.  He often stopped to look around and ponder his own existence; something that most people do not do nowadays, according to Ken Burns.  And, it was for this man – whom you might have read about in history books, had he belonged to another age – that Saturday’s An Afternoon with Ken Burns was held.
 

On Saturday, renowned documentarian Ken Burns visited the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon to honor Mr. Segal, an old friend whom he had known since the early 1970s.  The museum was unveiling its Segal exhibit, which showcases over a hundred paintings from the artist. Mr. Burns attended to field questions from fans and the press, and to showcase three short documentaries about his late friend. William Segal, Vezelay, and In the Marketplace totaled around 73 minutes in length, and were so well filmed that they could have been pieces themselves in the exhibit!  His shots were carefully chosen, and his scenes composed like photographs, which Burn’s described as “the DNA of film.” 
 
The event was a success, with a crowd filling the auditorium to capacity to hear Ken Burns speak.  There was a book signing after the event, during which anxious fans were able to speak briefly with the filmmaker, who was very approachable.  Although he did seem incredibly busy, Ken Burns appeared to be the sort of man that would stop and answer a question if you asked; something of which I think William Segal would have been proud.  The point of life not being to rush through it, missing everything along the way, it’s like Matthew Broderick says in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:  “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it!”