Embrace Boston is preparing to unveil The Embrace, a massive 45,000-pound, 20-foot-high and 40-foot-wide bronze sculpture crafted by artist Hank Willis Thomas and revered design firm MASS Design Group.
The Embrace will land inside Boston Common, America’s oldest public park, as one of the largest memorials championing racial equity in more than 30 years. The sculpture’s design, which is five years in the making, was selected from 126 submissions by a committee of teachers, visual artists, curators and community members. Willis’ concept illustrates the powerful embrace between Coretta Scott King and Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., when he received the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.
Residing in the 1965 Freedom Plaza, which honors 69 local civil rights heroes whose work proved pivotal during the Kings’ time in Boston, The Embrace will become the latest memorial to mark Boston’s efforts to uphold equality. Composed of more than 1,300 granite stone pieces in six finishes, the diamond-shaped pavers are said to evoke African-American quilt-making traditions with a pattern that symbolizes unity and collectivism — two pillars of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous letter from Birmingham Jail in Birmingham, AL, in 1963.
The sculpture’s unveiling is scheduled to take place on January 13. The ceremony will include remarks from the King Family, Willis and local and national representatives. Ahead of the event, take a look at a digital rendering of Hank Willis Thomas’ The Embrace above.
Elsewhere in the art world, check out the full list of Picasso exhibitions this year.
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