From Absence to Presence, The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland (St. Mary's College of Maryland)]]> Subject (Topic)
Mid-Atlantic United States
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--Maryland
St. Mary's College of Maryland--History

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Commemorative sculpture]]> RE:site Studio

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RE:site Studio

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]]> here.]]> History of site information plaque:
From Absence to Presence
Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland

History of the Site
Between 1750 and 1815, this field was home to three or four enslaved households. They labored for John Hicks and later John Mackall, both planters whose wealth was bulit on slave labor. Here along Mattapatty Road--then the main route into St. Mary's City--this housing compound, and another one across the road, would have been visible to all who passed by.

In 2016, St. Mary's College of Maryland archaeologists unearthed fragments of brick, ceramics, tobacco pipes and bottle glass suggesting where these families' cabins once stood. The archaeologists believe the houses were probably of rough log construction with wooden chimneys and brick hearths. The cabins probably had few or no windows and dirt floors.

Inside the cabins and out of sight of plantation surveillance, the families furnished their homes with both plain and decorated ceramics, possibly purchased with money made selling garden vegetables. Traces of garden features were found in this vicinity and documents show that enslaved families or nearby plantations sold their produce in the neighborhood. Although enlsaved, the families living here were probably able to travel to nearby farms, to church, and to the store in nearby St. Inigoes.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, the British Navy issued a call to enslaved people in Southern Maryland to join against Americans and thereby earn their freedom. Nineteen men, women, and children enslaved by John Mackall heeded the call and joined the British. Based on the absence of artifacts after 1814, archaeologists suspect that some of these individuals may have come from this compound.

A short three years later, on Easter Monday in 1817, the memory of those who had self-emancipated still fresh in everyone's minds, free and enslaved, a group of an estimated 150-200 enslaved men gathered at a dram shop, or tavern, near the store in St. Inigoes. When the local constable attempted to break up the gathering, the men resisted, a melee ensued, and some men were arrested for insurrection. No doubt men from the Mackall plantation were involved in the uprising, although their names were not among the arrested.

By uncovering this hidden Black landscape, both here in St. Mary's City and throughout Southern Maryland, we can understand not only the unfinished work of the American Revolution, but the African American role in the struggle for freedom for all.

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Object information plaque:
From Absence to Presence
Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland

Activist Angela Davis described the sacredness of slave quarters in the lives of enslaved people as "the only space where they could truly experience themselves as human beings."

This form is inspired by the 'ghost frame' architecture found on the site of Historic St. Mary's City.]]>
Erasure Poetry
" Erasure poetry is a form of found poetry that is created by erasing, or redacting, words from an existing piece of prose or verse. The redactions allow poets to create symbolism while also putting a focus on the social and political meanings of erasure. New questions, suggestions, and meanings in existing pieces of writing are revealed through erasure poetry. The erasure poetry that covers the structure is adapted from historical documents related to the Mackall-Brome plantation — one of three known plantations located on the land around St. Mary’s City. These documents include slave property and runaway slave advertisements, newspaper articles, and slave depositions of the Mackall-Brome family. These poems become the walls and roof of the structure revealing powerful stories hidden within the language of a dark past. " From About the Commemorative.]]>
Visual Arts-Sculpture]]> https://www.smcm.edu/honoring-enslaved/about-commemorative/.]]>
Monument to Women’s Suffrage (New York City)]]> Women’s Rights Pioneer Monument]]> Women's Sufferage]]> Truth, Sojourner, c. 1797-November 26, 1883
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, November 12, 1815-October 26, 1902
Anthony, Susan B., February 15, 1820-March 13, 1906]]>
Commemorative sculpture]]> widespread criticism for, not only its exclusion of African American women but the whitewashing of both Anthony and Staton’s classism and racism. In response to the criticism, Sojourner Truth was added to the design.

The redesign now features Anthony, Stanton, and Truth engaged in dialogue around a table. However, as the NYtimes notes “more than 20 academics objected [to the re-design] in a letter that the grouping would be misleading because the white suffragists’ rhetoric “treated black intelligence and capability in a manner that Truth opposed.”"]]>
here.]]>
Sojourner (Sacramento, CA)]]> Abolitionists--United States
Antislavery movements--United States
Public art
Public sculpture

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Truth, Sojourner, c. 1797 – November 26, 1883]]> Commemorative sculpture]]> Pedestrian Art, Sacramento]]> here.]]> http://www.sacmetroarts.org/Programs/Public-Art/Public-Art-Collection/Maintenance-Projects/Sojourner]]>
Sojourner Truth (San Diego, CA)]]> Antislavery movements--United States
Abolitionists--United States
Women's Suffrage
Public art
Public sculpture]]>
Truth, Sojourner, c. 1797 – November 26, 1883]]> Commemorative sculpture]]> Trip Advisor]]> here.]]>
“Sojourner Truth (1797-1883)

Suffragist and Abolitionist

"I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is powerful and will prevail.”

Sculpted by Manuelita Brown"]]>
This Week@ UC San Diego. Accessed Nov. 4th, 2019: https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/marshall_college_unveils_new_sojourner_truth_statue]]>
Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue (Florence, MA)]]> Antislavery movements--United States
Abolitionists--United States
Women's Suffrage
Massachusetts--History
Public art
Public sculpture]]>
Truth, Sojourner, c. 1797 – November 26, 1883]]> Commemorative sculpture]]> 1958-]]> Sojourner Truth Memorial Committee]]> here.]]> Sojourner Truth’s signature]]> https://sojournertruthmemorial.org/about-us/memorial-statue/]]>
Sojourner Truth Monument (Battle Creek, MI)]]> Antislavery movements--United States
Abolitionists--United States
Women's Suffrage
Michigan--History 
Public art
Public sculpture]]>
Truth, Sojourner, c. 1797 – November 26, 1883]]> Commemorative sculpture]]> Michigan History]]>
"This monument was dedicated by the people of Battle Creek, Michigan, on September 25, 1999. To preserve the image and honor of the legacy of Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), who lived in this area for the last 27 years of her life. Although she could neither read nor write, this charismatic ex-slave was empowered by a deep religious faith to carry her message of social reform and individual right across the country. Using humor, wit and song in her oratory, Sojourner Truth transformed national attitudes and institutions. The community inspired the vision of Truth which is embodied in this sculpture by internationally renowned artist Tina Allen. It is for each of us who stand here to carry on the work of Truth."

The plaque to the figure’s right reads:

“… And Truth shall be my abiding name.”

A plaque directly behind the figure bares Sojourner Truth’s signature and is inscribed:

“Because it was illegal to reach slaves, Sojourner Truth never learned to read or write. This is the only known example of her signature, which she wrote in an autograph book owned by Hattie Johnson, a local high school student, on April 23, 1880. (from the Archies of the Historical Society fo Battle Creek)”

A plaque to the figures left reads:

“Lord, I have done my duty and I have told the Truth and kept nothing back.”

A final bonze plaque from at the memorial reads:

"Sojourner Truth was born as the slave Isabella in New York State about 1797. As a child she spoke only low Dutch and, like most slaves, she never learned to read or write. While she was in bondage, she married Thomas, a fellow slave, and had five children. She was sold to four new owners before walking away to freedom in 1826. Isabella then settled in New York City until 1843, when she changed her name to Sojourner Truth. Relying on her deep religious faith, she was determined to travel the land as an itinerant preacher, speaking the truth and fighting against injustice. She became a prominent figure in several national social reform movements, working for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, temperance, prison reform, and the rights of former slaves. Sojourner first came to Battle Creek in 1856 to speak to the Quaker Friends of Human Progress. She moved to the area a year later and lived here for the last twenty-six years of her life. She died on November 26, 1883, and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Sojourner Truth was perhaps the most famous African American woman in 19th century America. For over forty years she was a passionate advocate for the dispossessed, using her quick wit and fearless tongue to fight for human rights. May her legacy live on."]]>
Waymark. Accessed Nov. 4th, 2019: https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1G0G_Sojourner_Truth_Statue_Battle_Creek_MI]]>
Frederick Douglass (Rochester, NY)]]> Subject (Topic)
Abolitionists--United States
Anti-slavery movements--United States
New York--History
Northeastern United States
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--New York

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Subject (Name)
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

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Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture

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Stanley W. Edwards, Frederick Douglass, 1899]]> The locations of the 13 Frederick Douglass statues in Rochester, NY:

School 12: Anna Murray Douglass Academy (999 South Avenue)

Hochstein School of Music and Dance (50 North Plymouth Avenue)  

Talman Building (25 East Main Street). 

42 Favor Street

Central Avenue and St. Paul Street

Corinthian Street at State Street

Alexander Street near East Avenue

Alexander Street and Tracy Street

Kelsey’s Landing in Maplewood Park (89 Maplewood Drive)

Mt. Hope Cemetery

Washington Square Park

Rochester Educational Opportunity Center (161 Chestnut Street)

University of Rochester’s Rush Rhees Library, Rare Books and Special Collections]]>
Kiley, Rich. "Douglass Monuments Bring History to Life." Rochester Institute of Technology, July 23, 2018. Accessed October 31, 2019, https://www.rit.edu/news/douglass-monuments-bring-history-life.

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Clapp, Jake. "Douglass Statues Coming to Rochester Streets." Frederick Douglass's Rochester, July 2018. Accessed May 24, 2020, https://rocdouglass.com/2018/07/18/douglass-statues-coming-to-rochester-streets/.

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"Creation of the Life-Size Monuments of Frederick Douglass." DouglassTour.com. Accessed May 24, 2020, http://www.douglasstour.com/replica-creation-gallery/.

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Frederick Douglass (Rochester, NY)]]> Subject (Topic)
Abolitionists--United States
Anti-slavery movements--United States
New York--History
Northeastern United States
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--New York

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Subject (Name)
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

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Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture

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Inscription on plaque (facing the monument to the south):
Frederick Douglass

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Inscription on plaque (facing the monument to the east):
“I know no soil better adapted to the growth of reform than American soil. I know of no country, where the conditions for effecting great changes in the settled order of things, for the development of right ideas of liberty and humanity are more favorable than here in these United States.” Extract from speech on Dred Scott Decision, delivered in New York, May 1857.

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Inscriptions on plaque (facing the monument to the north):
“The best defense of free American institutions is the hearts of the American people themselves”.

“One with God is a majority.”

“I know no rights of race superior to the rights of humanity.”

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Inscription on plaque (facing the monument to the west):
“Men do not live by bread alone; so with nations, they are not saved by art, but by honesty; not by the gilded splendors of wealth, but by the hidden treasures of manly virtue; not by the multitudinous gratification of the flesh, but by the celestial guidance of the spirit.” Extract from speech on The West India Emancipation, delivered at Canandaigua, N.Y., August 4, 1857

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Location:
This monument was originally located in front of the old New York Central Train Station (St. Paul Street and Central Ave) in Rochester, New York. In 1941, the work was moved to Highland Bowl, a part of Highland Park, close to the location of Douglass' farm (no longer extant) on South Avenue. As of December 4, 2019, the City of Rochester moved the statue to the Frederick Douglass Memorial Plaza (South Avenue and Robison Drive).

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Pededstal: 108 in. (274.32 cm.)]]> Haight, R. J. "Among the Sculptors." The Monumental News, vol. 10, no. 9 (1898): 516. Accessed May 25, 2020, https://books.google.com/books?id=qMQ4soroX0cC&pg=PA33&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false.

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Thompson, James W. An Authentic History of the Frederick Douglass Monument. Rochester, NY: Rochester Herald Press, 1903. Accessed May 25, 2020, https://www.libraryweb.org/~digitized/books/History_Douglass_Monument.pdf.

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Morry, Emily. "Frederick Douglass Monument." Retrofitting Rochester, Democrat & Chronicle, 2018. Accessed May 25, 2020, http://media.democratandchronicle.com/retrofitting-rochester/frederick-douglass-monument.

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Greenwood, Marcia. "Original Frederick Douglass Statue Is on the Move." Democrat & Chronicle, October 21, 2019. Accessed May 25, 2020, https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/10/21/frederick-douglass-statue-being-moved-out-highland-park-bowl-rochester-ny/4054831002/.

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Frederick Douglass (Baltimore, MD)]]> Subject (Topic)
Abolitionists--United States
Anti-slavery movements--United States
Maryland--History
Middle Atlantic States
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--Maryland

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Subject (Name)
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

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Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/monumentcity/3335648921/]]> Informational placard adjacent to the work:
Frederick Douglass Sculpture
(logo) Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park A Living Classroom

Frederick Douglass is one of the best-known Americans of the 19th century. Schools, churches and other community buildings across the United States have been named after him. Known for bravery, vision, and insightfulness, Douglas fought for the rights of African Americans and women. He stressed equal rights and economic progress for all Americans.

This bronze sculpture by Marc Andre Robinson, a Maryland Institute College of Art graduate, stands 6 feet tall wide and weighs 1,100 lbs. Mr. Robinson declares, "My ideas for the Frederick Douglass sculpture are meant to reflect collaborative art production and to emphasize the actual process of understanding and making history. The permanence of the bronze will function for the Living Classroom Foundation (and the Douglass-Myers Museum) as a monument to the seriousness of the indelible commitment to Baltimore youth."

(Inscriptions below the images on the information plaque)
Go inside the museum building to see these and other bronze sculptures created by Living Classrooms Crossroads Middle School students, under the guidance of Marc Robinson, sculptor of the Frederick Douglass statue.

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"Frederick Douglass Sculpture." The Historical Marker Database, March 13, 2017. Accessed May 24, 2020, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=103409.

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White, Amy Brecount. "The Driving Forces Behind Maritime Park." Washington Post, October 27, 2006. Accessed May 24, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/26/AR2006102600448.html.

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Living Classrooms Foundation Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum. Projects, Ziger/Snead Architects, Baltimore. Accessed May 24, 2020, http://www.zigersnead.com/projects/details/living-classrooms-foundation-frederick-douglass-isaac-myers-maritime-park-and-museum/.

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Frederick Douglass (New-York Historical Society)]]> Subject (Topic)
Abolitionists--United States
Anti-slavery movements--United States
Public art
Public sculpture
New York--History
Northeastern United States
Slavery--New York (State)

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Subject (Name)
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

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Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture

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StudioEIS]]> https://www.studioeis.com/bronze-sculpture/xe37y3a83pko4kay2tmln13ps3urii]]> Frederick Douglass, Hear the New York Statues Talk]]> Dunlap, David, W. "No Debate: It’s Lincoln and Douglass." New York Times, November 1, 2011. Accessed October 31, 2019, https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/no-debate-its-lincoln-and-douglass/March.

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Saxena, Jaya. "Creating the Humanity in Bronze Statues." Behind the Scenes, New-York Historical Society, March 14, 2012. Accessed October 31, 2019, http://behindthescenes.nyhistory.org/creating-the-humanity-in-bronze-statues/.

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"Meet Michael, the Living Historian Behind Our Frederick Douglass Statue (Part I)." History Detectives, New-York Historical Society, February 5, 2018. Accessed, May 24, 2020, http://historydetectives.nyhistory.org/2018/02/meet-living-historian-behind-new-york-historicals-frederick-douglass-statue-part-1/.

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"Meet the Living Historian Behind Our Frederick Douglass Statue (Part II)." History Detectives, New-York Historical Society, February 26, 2018. Accessed, May 24, 2020, http://historydetectives.nyhistory.org/2018/02/meet-living-historian-behind-frederick-douglass-statue-part-ii/.

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