The initiative to deliver authentic and inspiring visual art expression to beautify and increase aesthetic exposure in underserved New Orleans East communities is the beginning of an effort to honor the mostly African American populace with the same access enjoyed in other areas of the city. Ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and the resulting lack of economic access, this community has suffered many of the problems that have historically plagued our communities throughout the country. I chose to use this platform to highlight the history of the struggle and resilience of the descendents of enslaved Africans in the face of obstacles, and the price paid by previous generations for today’s opportunities.
"Risen", a sculpture in stainless steel, is meant as a testament to the legacy created by the martyrdom of Carol Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins, and Carole Robertson. On September 15th, 1963, four white supremacists placed dynamite under the stairs on the east side of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They detonated it at 10:22 am during Sunday services, killing the four girls and injuring 22 others.
The girls’ deaths had the same effect on society that Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have today. This hateful tragedy was seen as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement, and was a catalyst that helped push President Lyndon Johnson to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin and ensured full, equal rights of African Americans by law. The 16th Street Baptist Church reopened in June 1964 and is an active place of worship today, with an average weekly attendance of 2,000.
The sculpture, 22 feet high, is composed of four undulating columns rising from a four-sided, peaked platform, suggesting the roof of a country church. The columns are designed to resemble bending I-beams, with outer flanges and a center web. Each of the girls’ names is cut out within the center of the “beams”. The columns are each topped with a disc supporting a profile of a young girl’s head, complemented with several abstract sculptural elements. The four triangular elements comprising the base feature provisions of the Civil Rights Act cut into their surfaces. Suspended above the “roof” in the space between the columns are four cylinders intended to act as chimes, providing a voice to speak in celebration of the girls’ legacy. The title “Risen” is a reference to the enduring effects of their sacrifice on the lives of present and future generations seeking to actualize the promise of the words “with liberty and justice for all”.
