“THE PATH”, 2022

Hosea Williams’ quote “We built the path as we can, rock by rock”, captures the passion, perseverance, and love of the civil rights movement and all of the sacrifices of its participants, and was the inspiration and title for this 4 sculpture installation.  And below are the 4 individual sculpture titles and statements.

REMEMBRANCE

 With this piece I wish the viewer to take a moment and reflect on those who had sacrificed so much. The poppy flower is known for being the symbol of remembrance, and I have designed one that balances delicately on one petal. Inviting the viewers to behold and remember.

FREEDOM

For this work my aim was to design and capture the act of freedom in direct and simple elements. A bird breaks free of a symbolic box. The box form gives way to the power and perseverance of the bird taking flight.

HEALING

I pursued the concept of healing and coming together as a community for this piece. Ginkgo trees are long known as a healing plant, and also noted by Trees Atlanta as a historic tree of the Linear park area. Ginkgo’s are also one of the oldest species, and celebrated for their great strength and endurance. They are the only plant to survive the atomic blast at Hiroshima. Their beautiful shape lends themselves perfectly for the “coming together” design.

TIME: PAST/ PRESENT/ FUTURE

For this piece I wanted to get the visitors to interact with the work. The concept started with time, and the passage of time as marked by the moon/sun cycles. The moon/sun circle symbols rise, arc, and fall between 3 pillars. The words past/present/future are cut into the pillars. As the visitor enters the path in the work, they see their own reflections in the mirrored stainless steel circles. They have a moment to contemplate their ancestors, themselves, and the next generation to walk the “path”.