Anderson, David

Tavin, Kevin

English

Journal.fi

Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Clash Over PublicArt, Monuments and MemorialsDavid Anderson1, Kevin Tavin21The Gilman School, Baltimore, MD, USA,2Aalto University, FinlandAbstractThe ability of public, historical, monuments to inform its viewers has reachednew heights in the United States. Gone are the days of mindlessly walking pastthese structures that have littered our nation’s municipalities. Now more thanever, citizens are (re)learning American’s past through the deconstruction ofCivil War-era structures. The protests, the vandalism and the installation oftemporary works have all had a direct impact on the meaning and purposeof the original works. This recontextualization has generated an exciting at-mosphere around memorials and monuments that have otherwise lost theirmeaning and purpose over time. Unfortunately, there is still a desire by manyto depict historical events within a homogeneous context; void of women, peo-ple of color, or people within the gay and transgender communities. If publicart continues on this path of representation we need to ask; how does thishomogeny impact how we see ourselves and view others? In the case of war-related monuments and memorials; how is social identity altered if bombardedby images of white men, often bearing arms?936 Synnyt / Origins | 2 / 2019 | AbstractsThis presentation will examine these questions and discuss in detail a caseinvolving the vandalism and eventually censorship of a public mural seriesin Baltimore, MD depicting Harriet Tubman; a historical symbol of freedomwithin the canon of African slavery and American history. How does an imageof a black woman bearing a gun frighten people but not an image of white menwith swords and guns?KeywordsPublic Art, Monuments, Memorials, Social Identity, Cultural Identity, History.937 Synnyt / Origins | 2 / 2019 | Abstracts

Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Clash Over Public Art, Monuments and Memorials

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Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Clash Over Public Art, Monuments and Memorials

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