Public Art
On August 16th, 2017, the city of Baltimore removed four Confederate monuments in the middle of the night. The monuments were bronze statues depicting white soldiers, generals, women and one Supreme Court justice who was responsible for the Dred Scott Decision.
For Professor Billy Friebele’s Public Art Class this spring, students proposed an artistic intervention for one of the empty plinths in Baltimore after doing further research on the contested history of this monument. Below are two of the stand out concepts proposed.
Catherine Tsilionis ‘21, Injustice: Then and Now, Clay and acrylic paint, 7.5 x 4 x 2.5 inches, Public Art with Professor Billy Friebele
To replace the Confederate memorial of Roger B. Taney created by William Henry Rinehart, I wanted to provide an opportunity to reflect on a large issue in American history that has been carried into the modern day. I have developed a sculpture that addresses the past and present injustices in the United States’ legal system. My concept confronts the issue at hand in a way that does not draw attention to Roger B. Taney himself. I have designed a broken and cracked balance scale from the well-known symbol of Lady Justice to represent the imbalance and brokenness of the justice system in the past and present, specifically addressing the lives of African Americans. With the previous statue in mind, I wanted to incorporate the history of the case in which Roger B. Taney was involved, which was the Dred Scott versus Sanford.
On the left scale, there would be facts about the Dred Scott versus Sanford case engraved in addition to any other information about this decision that would represent the injustices that had occurred. In relation to this continuation of injustice in the present-day, I wanted to highlight facts and statistics about legal injustices that African Americans have faced within the past ten years, such as incarceration rates, false accusations, etc. This information would be engraved on the right scale.
The words on the plinth “Purpose so great” will remain from the previous statue and can be reinterpreted to represent the great purpose of the artists, journalists, writers and photographers that have the responsibility to convey creative and accurate portrayals of the communities they engage with. Additionally, the pencil shaving at the base of the plinth represents the past history and hard work that has come before. We are reminded of the efforts that serve as the foundation and inspiration for future endeavors.
It is important to engage in dialogue with the community and ensure that you have a clear understanding of their perspective by forming a genuine relationship with community members. It’s also vital that the artist makes sure they are uplifting other artists who may be from marginalized groups so that they feel empowered to share their ideas and skills as well. On the plinth quotes from artists and advocates for education will be engraved. The community should be involved with the selection of these quotes.
Courtney Kenny ’21, Pencils; Purpose So Great, Watercolor, 8 x 10 inches, Public Art with Professor Billy Friebele