After this trip to visit art pieces such the Beecher statue by John Adams Ward, Manacles Forged Minds by Fred Wilson and Unity by Hank Willis Thomas, I have realized that when I’m focused on my destination, I tend to blur out my surroundings when I travel. A good example would be the Beecher statue. I can remember passing through Columbs Park numerous times when SFC was on Remsen, yet I never noticed the Beecher statue nor knew who he was once I finally noticed. Delving more into this thought, maybe it could be due to the surroundings around the statue or its placement. The Beecher statue stands at 8 feet with a pair of children on the right and a black women depicted on the left, the sculpture is enclosed by an iron fence and surrounded by roses. The sculpture loses its interactive element that the other sculptures like “Unity” encouraged from its viewers. This element was one of the reasons why the installation by Fred Wilson and Unity by Thomas drew me in. South of the Beecher sculpture resides Wilson’s installation depicting African inspired masculine figurines surrounded by gates & ironwork. Since the gate & ironwork were a big part of this piece, I think a couple of things that it may be a metaphor for are security, imprisonment, appreciation and isolation. The gate used has a decorative and floral element to it and reminds me of the gates used around houses and in the Caribbean as a safety measure. The imprisonment aspect comes from the prison like bars on each end of the gate hinting to the figurines inside being imprisoned by something. I think the figurines represent black men and the artist wants to bring attention to the stereotypes black men are trapped in or even the issues within their mind (signifying mental health) making it hard to free oneself. Another take can be that the decorative element signifies the beauty and appreciation of black and African culture, but the bars represent how black people are also forced to keep that part of them locked away when it’s not convenient or within a space where our blackness is not accepted. There are many interpretations that can be taken from this piece and that’s what I feel makes this piece so exciting.
Another sculpture that was also engaging was “Unity”. I think the title explains the idea behind this sculpture. The point is to bring people together and think about a common goal. The artist wants people to think about something more thought provoking than the common advertisement we see daily, which is why I think Thomas removed the basketball that stood on the tip of the finger of the sculpture. The last image below shows people coming together to protest under one goal, protecting black lives. I think that’s one of the ways Thomas envisioned his sculpture to be used. A group of different individuals coming together as one.
Overall, I enjoyed this trip, and it has encouraged me to visit other art pieces around and beyond SFC’s neighborhood.
Thank you for this excellent post, Brittney. I appreciate your interpretation of Wilson's sculpture, and also your acknowledgement that it can mean different things to different people. Wilson's sculpture is at the level of passersby, not up on a pedestal, as you note, contributing to audience engagement. I love the photo you include of protestors at the Unity monument to illustrate how people gather around the sculpture and how the sculpture creates a space for community.