Unsung Founders Memorial (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Unsung Founders Memorial (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Subject (Topic)
Slavery
North Carolina--History
Southeastern United States
Public art
Public sculpture

Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture

The memorial includes a stone tabletop supported by 300 bronze male and female African American figures, their arms raised over their heads as they collectively hold the weight of the tabletop. The differing dress of the figures-- some are shown in suits, while others are semi-nude and bearfoot-- appear to represent a range of economic classes. The table is surrounded by five black stone seats.

Suh, Do-Ho, 1962-

University Gazette

Dedicated: November 5, 2005

University of North Carolina Graduating Class of 2002

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

For a 'virtual tour' of the monument, please click here.

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JPEG

English

Visual Arts-Sculpture

McCorkle PlaceChapel Hill, University of North Carolina, NC 27514, United States (Geographic Coordinates:
35.913620 , -79.052120 )

Inscribed around the edge of the table:

"THE CLASS OF 2002 HONORS THE UNIVERSITY’S UNSUNG FOUNDERS — THE PEOPLE OF COLOR BOND AND FREE — WHO HELPED BUILD THE CAROLINA THAT WE CHERISH TODAY."

Ater, Renée. “The Challenge of Memorializing Slavery in North Carolina: The Unsung Founders Memorial and the North Carolina Freedom Monument Project.” In Politics of Memory: Making Slavery Visible in the Public Space, ed. Ana Lucia Araujo, 141–156. New York and London: Routledge.

Black granite; Bronze

Renée Ater

Sculpture