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]]>
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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North to Freedom (Brewer, Maine)]]> Abolitionists--United States
Antislavery movements--United States
Fugitive slaves--United States
Northeastern United States
Public art
Public sculpture
Underground Railroad

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Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture]]>
Hines, Glenn M., 1950-

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Information plaque:

Chamberlain Freedom Park
State of Maine Underground Railroad Memorial

The Brewer Historical Society created this park to honor Civil War hero General Joshua L. Chamberlain, a Brewer native. The park also commemorates Maine's  role as a stop on the "Underground Railroad" used by runaway slaves to reach freedom in Canada.

A statue of an unknown slave lifts himself, leaning North while looking South, from an underground railroad tunnel uncovered during construction in 1995. The "North to Freedom" statue, by Maine sculptors Glenn and Dianna Hines, represents all who made the dangerous journeys along the "Underground Railroad."

Landscape design: Dick Campbell
Historic Interpretation: Brian Higgins]]>
Bangor Daily News, September 1, 2012. Accessed April 30, 2021, https://bangordailynews.com/2012/09/01/news/bangor/north-to-freedom-statue-in-brewer-only-official-maine-memorial-to-underground-railroad/.]]> Chamberlain Freedom Park, 12 State Street, Brewer, Maine, 04412, United States
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La Porte Du Non Retour (The Gate of No Return) (Ouidah, Benin)]]> Subject (Topic)
Africa
Public art
Public sculpture
Ouidah--Benin--History
Slave trade
Slave trade--Africa--History
Slave trade--Benin--Ouidah--History

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Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture
Memorial Arches

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Located on the sandy shores of Ouidah, Benin, the monumental concrete red, white, and yellow-painted gate and the metallic sculptures that flank it, commemorate the horrors of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The memorial gate, which marks the point where African captives were forced onto transatlantic slave ships, is connected by a path, known as the “Slave Route,” to the market square, where enslaved people were once sold. The memorial arche is embellished with a frieze, depicting two lines of enslaved people bound at their hands and chained together as they walk towards waiting ships. The columns are adorned with sculptures depicting men and women captives, their extremities bound, as they kneel and await their fate in Portuguese-built forts. The back of the gate is adorned with depictions of their native towns. Yves Ahouangnimon was the architect for the project; Fortuné Bandiera created figures and bas reliefs on the columns; Yves Apollinaire Pèdé created the bas-reliefs on the center arch and two free-standing egungun; and Dominique Kouas created the copper statues.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/dantoujours/33680680066/in/album-72157678589698644/]]> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porte_du_non_retour_11.jpg]]> The Slave Route, UNESCO]]> Inscription on marble plaque on right side of arch:
Ce Monument Commemoratif
A Ete Inauguree Le 30-11-95
Par Son Excellence
Le President Nicephore Dieudonne Soglo
Et Le Directeur General De L'UNESCO
Monsieur Federico Mayor
A L'Occasion De La Celebration De L'Annee 1995
Comme L' Annee Internationale De La Tolerance

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Inscription on marble plaque on left side of arch:
LA PORTE du NON retour
--Ses Figurines et ses bas-relief en colonnes
d'esclaves a été conue et réalisée
par Fortuné Bandeira
--L'agencament ou terrassement
par l'Architect Ahouangnimon Yves
--Les Statues en cuivre rouge
par Gnonnou Dominique Kouass
--Les bas-relief du mur de ceinture et
les deux Statues répresentant des
Egun-Egun (Esprit des esclaves)
par Yves Kpede
-Sous la présidence du Ministre d'Etat
Désiré Vieyra
et la coordination de
Mr. Noureini Tidjani-Serpos

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https://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Slavery/articles/araujo.html]]> Akhtar, Saima and David H. Colmenares. "The Slaving Port of Ouidah and Monumental Discourse around the Atlantic Perimeter." Art Histories and Aesthetic Practices, January 27, 2016. Accessed May 13, 2019, https://medium.com/from-traditional-to-contemporary-aesthetic/the-slaving-port-of-ouidah-and-monumental-discourse-around-the-atlantic-perimeter-a41968341a57.

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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/.]]>
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]]>
Underground Railroad Sculpture (Oberlin, OH)]]> Abolitionists--United States
Antislavery movements--United States
Fugitive slaves--United States
Midwestern United States
Public art
Public sculpture
Underground Railroad

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Commemorative sculpture]]> Oberlin College.]]> https://www.oberlin.edu/underground-railroad-sculpture.]]>
Mémorial ACTe (Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe)]]> Slavery-Emancipation
Slavery-Abolition
Middle Passage
Transatlantic Slave Trade
Slave Trade
Diaspora
Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe]]>
History Museums]]> here.]]>
Frederick Douglass Circle (Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY)]]> Subject (Topic)
Abolitionists--United States
Anti-slavery movements--United States
Public art
Public sculpture
New York--History
Northeastern United States

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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/hofstrauniversity/39344857345/in/photostream/]]> Inscription at base of sculpture:
Frederick Douglass Circle
Vinne Bagwell
2008

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Inscription on sheet in Douglass' hand:
"Until color shall cease to be a bar to equal participation in the offices and honor of the country, this discussion will go on... Until the American people shall make character and not color the criterion of respectability, this discussion will go on..." --1883

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Inscription on granite circle:
Need text

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Bagwell, Vinnie, "Frederick Douglass Circle." Coda Worx. Accessed October 31, 2019: https://www.codaworx.com/project/frederick-douglass-circle-hofstra-university.

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"Hofstra Happenings-Special 2008: Historic Sculpture Dedicated at Hofstra University." Hofstra Magazine, December 14, 2007. Accessed May 23, 2020, https://news.hofstra.edu/2007/12/14/hofstra-happenings-special-2008/.

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Freedmen's Memorial to Abraham Lincoln (Washington, DC)]]> Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Enslaved persons-Emancipation-United States
Public art
Public sculpture
United States President (1861-1865 : Lincoln) Emancipation Proclamation]]>
"On the Removal of Statues": Ball’s composition includes two figures, one fully clothed, the other semi-nude. Due to the dozens of photographs that survive from the 1860s, we recognize that the standing bearded man is Abraham Lincoln. Dressed in a shirt with tie, a long coat, and trousers, Lincoln stands upright with most of his weight on one leg, in "contrapposto." Clothing and posture civilize Lincoln, marking his intelligence and morality. The kneeling man, a newly emancipated enslaved person, is semi-nude. The only article of clothing that he wears is a piece of cloth draped from his waist to the edge of his buttocks. The sinewy muscles are clearly delineated in the man’s arms, legs, and abdominal muscles. Modeled with short curly hair, the former slave is also shown with a distinctive broad nose, signifying his African ancestry. We know from the historical record that former slave Archer Alexander was “the model” for the freedman."]]>