Does a sculptor’s race matter?

 

August 31, 2023

By Natasha Frost Writer, Briefings

Good morning. We’re covering drone attacks in the war in Ukraine and an apparent coup in Gabon.

Plus: Does a sculptor’s race matter?

ARTS AND IDEAS

via Wesley Wofford

A fraught tribute to an abolitionist heroine

A year ago, the city of Philadelphia invited a sculptor to design a public statue of Harriet Tubman. Complaints poured in, partly because the selected artist was a white man, and the city eventually issued an open call for submissions. Five semifinalist designs, all created by Black artists, were ultimately selected.

“We know the depth and value of our stories,” said Vinnie Bagwell, a 65-year-old artist from New York who is one of the semifinalists. Wesley Wofford, above, the artist who was originally commissioned, was dismayed by the public outcry. “Art is supposed to be a universal language that transcends gender, race and culture,” he said.