During our class trip, we visited many different sculptures/monuments. This included the Henry Ward Beecher sculpture by John Adams and by Gutzon Borglum, the Mind Forged Manacles/Manacle Forged Minds, and the Unity. Out of all the sculptures, the Unity by Hank Willis Thomas grabbed my attention the most. The Unity is located in Downtown Brooklyn at the intersection of Tillary and Adams Street surrounded by historic buildings. The artwork is a giant muscular arm pointing upwards using its index finger made out of bronze. This artwork was meant to give an open-minded meaning. The reason he decided to do that is that many images nowadays we see outside are advertisements that direct us into buying something than making us reflect on it.
Before knowing the name of the sculptor I was confused as to what the artwork represented. However, once I knew the name it started to make sense. This artwork made me think of how if everyone united with one another we would be stronger and become number one. Through unity, it gives us the power of courage and with this, we can accomplish anything. On the other hand, this sculptor can signify that it's pointing toward hope. Therefore, demonstrates that if we're in a tough place and struggling we shouldn't lose hope. In addition, this sculptor made me think from a religious perspective of how it could mean that we are united under god since it's pointing toward the sky. This has inspired me to go out and look at more art pieces to experience the different types of pieces out there.
Thank you for your post, Nicole! I didn't get a sense of the class' response to Unity when we visited during our trip. I think we were slowing down a little by that stop. It's nice to learn, through these blog posts, that several of you appreciated this sculpture.