History Refused to Die is a complex work of art that, in its vibrant appearance, provides a striking look into Dial’s personal trajectory and the artist’s method of documenting and remembering Black experiences in the South. On one side, Dial reveals mangled objects that appear in their unprepared, raw form. The other side shows a remarkably different surface of coated and partially coated objects. The formal choices that Dial made in History Refused to Die would seem to show that he likely intended for the viewer to fixate on the autobiographical nature of his chosen materials and consider his signature creative techniques that evolved over time. Beyond Dial, History Refused to Die considers other self-taught artists who, through their agency, used materials for elaborate, personal displays and practical community use. Holly’s yard art and encouragement for Dial influenced his artistic direction to continue with utilitarian materials in his work. Bendolph’s patch work process in her quilts was internalized by Dial, and her practices were akin to his practice of salvaging used fabrics. Previous scholarly understandings about Dial have situated him within a larger framework of American contemporary art and African American Southern art to strongly argue for his place within these categories. Furthermore, scholarly analysis of Dial considered the history of exploitive, segregated industries in Alabama, where he lived all his life. Dial, Holly, and Bendolph and the larger community of assembledge artists in the South gesture to another area of study that recognizes how creative methods are gained from years of labor that had been intended for other means.