BOSTON - Wednesday,
March 17, 2021 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh, together with the Mayor’s Office
of Arts and Culture, the Boston Art Commission (BAC), and King Boston/The
Boston Foundation, announced the Boston Art Commission has voted to
approve the final design for The Embrace, by artist Hank Willis
Thomas on the Boston Common, as proposed by King Boston acting by and
through The Boston Foundation. The Embrace is a bronze figural
abstraction based on a photo of an embrace between Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. The artwork differs from the singular,
heroic form of many memorials to Dr. King and others, instead emphasizing
the power of collective action, the role of women as leaders, and the
forging of new bonds of solidarity out of mutual empathy and
vulnerability.
The sculpture,
which invites visitors to gather and enter into the Kings’ embrace, is a
key component of an extensive vision led by King Boston to create a
living memorial and programs honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King and ushering a climate of economic
justice and racial equity in the city. The new memorial, initiated by a
partnership between the City of Boston and King Boston as a result of
calls for a memorial to Dr. King spanning several decades, will spark a
public conversation about how to advance racial and social justice in
Boston today.
“With this vote,
we are one step closer to seeing this memorial come to life in our city,
recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King’s trailblazing
legacy,” said Mayor Walsh. “It will be a constant source of inspiration
for all residents and visitors to Boston, and will play an important role
in marking the progress we’ve made in addressing inequity in our city,
and reminding us of the work that still needs to be done.”
The memorial will
be located on the Boston Common, adjacent to the Parkman Bandstand, where
Dr. King spoke in 1965. It is planned to be installed and accessioned as
part of the City’s public art collection in 2022, and will serve as a
living space for conversation, education, and reflection on the Kings’
time in Boston and the racial and economic justice ideals they put forth
to the community.
This project was
initiated by entrepreneur Paul English, who convened an Art Committee
with his co-chair Rev. Liz Walker to begin the design process for the
memorial. The City released a Call to Artists, and received responses from 126 artists
teams around the world. The Art Committee selected five finalist teams, and their concepts were shared for public input in the summer of 2018. After receiving
approximately 1,000 public comments, three teams were invited to move on
to the feasibility stage, where a team reviewed the practicality of each
design. In March 2019, the Boston Art Commission selected The Embrace by
artist Hank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group as the design for the
memorial.
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