When Sculptures Speak
Works of art have long been attacked or celebrated on ideological grounds. From D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation – a ground-breaking film that is also regularly condemned as racist – to Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses and beyond, art has served as a source of controversy, outrage, and, on occasion, physical violence.
Tempers run hot in an era of culture wars and cancel culture; all the more reason to step back a bit and consider the role of the arts in the United States. What is its purpose? What is its value? The dollar is easier to read than hearts and minds, and the value of art is often measured in financial terms. Looking beyond the commercial aspects, we apprehend the deeper worth of art, the power it possesses to get us thinking, remind us of our shared humanity, and capture the evanescent.
Things get even more complicated when notions of public art enter the discussion. All in all, it proves that a work of art should not be judged on its political, social, or historical significance alone; but ignoring those factors can mean willfully neglecting – or even endorsing – a multitude of sins. Confederate Army statuary is a prime example. Leave them up or bring them down?
Those who would like to see the sculptures left alone argue that such monuments are “part of our history.” They are indeed; but on which side of the historical record does one want to place oneself? These monuments are not an ode to striving for equality and justice for all. They glorify the leaders who fought to have that equality quashed. Confederate statuary memorializes some hard truths about American history.
Over the course of a lengthy career, American sculptor John Henry Waddell(1921-2019) tackled intolerance, fear, and injustice.
“That Which Might Have Been, Birmingham 1963" is Waddell’s memorial tribute to the four little girls whose lives were taken in the 1963 Ku Klux Klan bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama.
As John's wife, artist Ruth Holland Waddell remembered it. "John said, 'Let's turn on the radio and see what's new in the United States.' That's when we heard about the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama."
"Is there a war?" asks their youngest son William, age 9
John Henry Waddell and his sculpture: "That Which Might Have Been" - Photo courtesy of Archives of Waddell Art
In 2020 the last surviving conspirator (and KKK member) Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr., died in prison. But the four black girls that he and his buddies killed in that bombing will live on, in part because of the cry for humanity their tragic deaths inspired. Depictions of the four by artists like Spike Lee (“Four Little Girls”) and Waddell are essential to continuing the conversation for years to come.
Created over 40 years ago, Waddell’s Bronze Dancers is a 12-Figure Grouping in front of Herberger Theater in the Arts District of Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It received new attention when, on August 22, 2017, policemen used tear gas on a group of non-violent protesters outside a rally in Phoenix. Photographer Matt York captured an unforgettable image: a line of policemen in riot gear lined up alongside a pair of Waddell’s dancers. A man supports a woman who’s reaching upward, ever upward, rising above the fray.
The sculpture is called “Lift.”
Art holds a key to healing, overcoming adversity, and advancing us as a culture. It has the power to move us and open us to new experiences. If we take the time to look and listen and feel, it will lift us all.
John Henry Waddell's "Bronze Dancers" - Photo courtesy of Archives of Waddell Art
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John Henry Waddell (1921 – 2019) was a prominent international figurative artist. He lived a prolific life as an artist and teacher of art in America for 9 decades. Read more about Johnhere.
Amy Waddell is an American writer and filmmaker living between Paris, France, and Sedona, Arizona. Read more about Amy here.
8 Things You Didn't Know About Martin Luther King Jr.
But there's far more about Martin Luther King Jr. that isn't common knowledge. Here are a few things that have been forgotten over the course of history:
1. King was a strong supporter of democratic socialism.
During the 2016 election, Bernie Sanders brought the term "democratic socialism" to the forefront of American politics. But Martin Luther King Jr. openly supported the philosophy throughout his life. As a child, King saw the bread lines during the Great Depression. "I can see the effects of this early childhood experience on my present anti-capitalistic feelings," he wrote in 1950 while he was a divinity student. King saw capitalism as "a system that takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes."
2. King's activism went far beyond the Civil Rights Movement.
He also protested the Vietnam War. In 1967, King delivered a speech entitled "Beyond Vietnam," in which he called for the United States to stop bombing in Vietnam. He also argued that American troops should be pulled out of the area and the U.S. should enter into a truce that would lead to peace talks. King viewed the American intervention in Vietnam as imperialism. He was staunchly anti-war and a pacifist.
3. It wasn't until the year 2000 that MLK Day was observed in every state.
While Martin Luther King Day became a federal holiday in 1986, not every state observed it until South Carolina was the final state to recognize the holiday in 2000. Because MLK Day is a federal holiday — not a national one — only federal employees received a paid day off. The holiday was met with resistance when it was first enacted because some felt King was too subversive to receive federal recognition.
4. King had numerous academic accomplishments.
Throughout his life, King's intellect shined in his writing and activism. As an adolescent, he skipped both the 9th and 12th grades. At 15, he entered Morehouse College and eventually received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University in 1955. He was awarded many honorary degrees — Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Humanities, and Doctor of Divinity.
5. Over 900 streets in the United States are named after Martin Luther King Jr.
After his assassination in 1968, many cities and states re-named streets in his honor. His name even graces streets in foreign countries. Forty states in America have at least one street named after King. Unfortunately, many of the streets in the U.S. with his namesake often struggle economically. These streets tend to have high levels of poverty and racial segregation in comparison to other streets in their respective cities.
6. He was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in America. At 35, he was the youngest person to ever receive the award. Alfred Nobel, for whom the award is named, described the recipient of the Peace Prize as "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."
7. King was a fan of Star Trek.
The classic science fiction TV show first aired in 1966. Star Trek made an indelible mark on American pop culture and civil rights. The U.S.S. Enterprise crew was composed of various races and nationalities, including Lieutenant Uhura. Nichelle Nichols sought King's advice about whether she should leave the show after its first season. King encouraged her to stay on. He believed that the representation of an African-American woman in a position of leadership on the Starship Enterprise was too important.
8. He was TIME Magazine's first Black Man of the Year.
In 1963, TIME Magazine named King the Man of the Year. That was the same year King delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of President Abraham Lincoln's memorial. The magazine cited King's essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and his leadership of many peaceful protests as justification for the accolade.