Controversy has been brewing over a privately funded memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King that will be installed between the Lincoln and Washington Monuments on the National Mall. The current design integrates an arched
marble wall with a central opening that aligns King's monument with Jefferson's and Lincoln's. Other elements will naturally occur in the environment of the site and are intended to encourage contemplation and intimate reflection. The main wall will feature a quote from a speech made by Dr. King in 1963, "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope." Water, rocks and trees will be used throughout the memorial in consideration of it's central themes - justice, democracy and hope.
Highly acclaimed Chinese sculptor, Lei
Yixin designed the monument that is being directed by the African American owned architectural design group, ROMA of San Francisco. Many major corporations (such as General Motors,Tommy Hilfiger,
McDonald's, Coca Cola, Disney, the NBA) have donated extensively to the project and several celebrities (among them,
Laila Ali, Dr. Maya Angelou, Harrison Ford,
Muhammed Ali, Carlos Santana) have joined the campaign to raise funds for the monument. The estimated cost for the MLK Memorial is $100 milion, of which $80 milion has currently been raised.
But the piece is being strongly criticized by those who feel that Dr. King would be insulted at the choice of a Chinese artist over a black American. Many feel that only a black artist can bring an authentic expression to the work and begrudge the fact that black artists (whose works were considered by the MLK Memorial Board but were not chosen) have been denied an opportunity to participate in a major artistic commission. As well, many disagree with the choice of a Chinese artist's work because of his country's horrible reputation for human rights violations. Several have made the important point that China's inhumane politics are completely out of line with Dr. Martin Luther King's philosophy and hope for humankind.
The proposed work and the controversy surrounding it have striking similarities to two previous public commissions - Richard Serra's
Tilted Arc (second figure above on left) and Maya Lin's
Vietnam Veterans Memorial (third figure at left).
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was bitterly contested because of the artist's youth (she was 21 and a student at Yale when she received the commission) and her identity as a Chinese American. (For the record, Maya Lin was born in Athens, Ohio.) Eventually, two other figural works were installed near Lin's monument (against Lin's wishes) to appease debate. Richard Serra's
Tilted Arc caused a sensational uproar when it was installed in the Federal Plaza in New York in 1981. The work was opposed because of its cost ($175,000 of public funds), it was considered a gross impedement as it prevented a quick walk through the plaza, and it was said to have attracted graffiti and rats. Serra's piece was torn down and the material scrapped in 1989.
Rebecca Trawick lives in L.A. and David Wallace lives in Pittsburgh. The two artists, who have never met each other, have completed nearly fifty collages using the U.S. Postal Service to send work back and forth until both decided a piece was finished. phd gallery will hang thirty of their finest works, flanked by thumbnail photos taken by the artists which show the stages of progression. Meet the artists at the opening night reception as they meet each other for the first time. The series debuted in Pittsburgh in January of 2007. Janera Soloman, visual arts critic for The Pittsburgh City Paper had this to say: "This beautiful collection of collages holds no specific thematic intentions; there are no hidden messages to interpret. Each piece offers its own vocabulary, images for which viewers can create their own meanings. Or one can simply appreciate the image for its aesthetic value as a beautiful work of art." 
