New York City’s Times Square installed a statue of a 12-foot-tall Black woman in casual clothing that its creator hopes will encourage people to reflect on “greater cultural diversity.”
New York-based Times Square Arts recently put up the new statue display, titled “Grounded in the Stars,” by artist Thomas J Price, along with his “Man Series” animated billboards, both of which are temporary, but causing a stir online.
The Times Square website states, “Price’s multi-channel presentation on the screens and sculptural installation on the plaza below forms a two-part takeover in Times Square that foregrounds the intrinsic value of the individual and amplifies traditionally marginalized bodies on a monumental scale.”
TRUMP VOWS TO BRING COLUMBUS DAY BACK ‘FROM THE ASHES’
“Times Square stands as an iconic symbol and site of convergence, uniting people from all walks of life, individual stories, and experiences intersecting on a global platform. The intention of my public works is to become part of the place they inhabit and its physical, material history, as well as the visitors that pass through and around the location, no matter how fleeting,” Price said in a statement in the press release. “I hope Grounded in the Stars and Man Series will instigate meaningful connections and bind intimate emotional states that allow for deeper reflection around the human condition and greater cultural diversity.”
Price’s official website notes that he has spent decades “tacitly dissecting both implicit and explicit expressions of anti-Blackness.”
For this particular sculpture, Price’s website explained, “both her stature and her unbothered gaze are markers of status and authority; this is a figure who understands her worth.”
The Times Square website noted that the large Black woman statue is not one particular woman, but is made as a contrast to other sculptures, including “a subtle nod to Michelangelo’s David” with its posture.
The website also said that “the woman in Grounded in the Stars cuts a stark contrast to the pedestaled permanent monuments — both white, both men — which bookend Duffy Square, while embodying a quiet gravity and grandeur.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
The statues of historic White men in Times Square are of Father Francis P. Duffy, the most decorated chaplain in Army history who served in World War I and the Spanish-American War, and playwright George M. Cohan, who composed iconic American works such as “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and is credited for laying the groundwork for Broadway as a center for the performing arts.
American statues and holidays have become a frequent source of controversy, as progressives create new monuments while tearing down those of figures from the past.
The “Grounded in the Stars” display, placed on April 29, will be removed in mid-June.
The Times Square website noted that support for the Grounded in the Stars display is “provided in part by the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Morgan Stanley, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and additional in-kind support from the Times Square Edition Hotel.”
Leave a Reply