October 23, 2021
“For over 50 years, Melvin Edwards (b. 1937, Houston, TX) has created public art for communities all around the world. His work reimagines monumental civic sculpture by uniting abstract forms with personal symbols to address issues of race, labor, and the African Diaspora. Brighter Days is a focused look at Edwards’ career through five sculptures from 1970 to 1996, and a sixth large-scale work commissioned in 2020. Each one incorporates some form of chain.
“This signature motif for the artist takes on numerous meanings. Chains have functional use as “welded rope” to pull or hoist, but their interconnected links also convey metaphorical significance. They can represent bonds that constrain or unite us, while broken fragments might suggest liberation or loss. The context of City Hall Park adds resonance to the historical associations of these metal forms as tools of slavery and violence. This is the site of the African Burial Ground, a colonial-era cemetery for enslaved and freed individuals of African descent. More recently it became a geographic center of Black Lives Matter protests with the occupation of City Hall. Brighter Days, a title chosen by the artist, affirms his optimistic view of our shared future. Tracing the long arc of Edwards’ career, these six sculptures encourage us to remain mindful of the past as we cherish the social linkages that are more important than ever.”
~ Curator Daniel S. Palmer
Check it out in City Hall Park now through November 28, 2021.
