Marcus David-Peters Circle Sign

Various

Marcus David-Peters Circle Sign, 2020

This graffitied sign, which appeared in August of 2020 after the previous sign was stolen by white supremacists, designates the area around Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Monument as Marcus David- Peters Circle, named for a Black Richmonder killed by police in 2018. In contrast to the previous sign, which was modeled after mid-century tourism signs, this new sign is in a graffiti style, with jaunty block lettering and bright colors spelling out “MDPC: Marcus David Peters Circle.” This style both mirrors the graffiti which covers the monument in the circle and reflects the communal frustration of Richmond in the face of systemic racism and police brutality. Additionally, its illegality (as neither it nor the Circle was approved by the state) embodies specific action taken by the community against the oppressive Richmond government. The sign is also making a profoundly ecological statement; it is placed directly in the middle of the impromptu community garden in the Circle, indicating that the unity and solidarity within Richmond must necessarily address the role that ecological factors play in systemic racism. Label by Maxwell Cloe

Corona Rises

Tomas Serrano

Corona Rises, 2020

This piece was created by Spanish artist Tomas Serrano in response to the news of rising Coronavirus cases in New York City. The rising sun, which has been drawn as to look like the Coronavirus itself, rises over New York City, casting a red hue across the buildings. The use of sunlight to depict the virus emphasizes the pervasive, unstoppable spread of the virus, as it affects everything it touches. The closely aligned buildings emphasize the compressed nature of living in NYC and the rising “sun” emphasizes the rising concern and impact of Coronavirus. The virus, in this case, is being depicted as an inescapable part of the lived environment. As many residents of NYC with access to safer housing flee the city, seeking safety in the countryside, this piece stands to highlight the increasing threat of the pandemic, as well as lead the viewer to consider the implications for lower-income residents who cannot escape the compressed environment of the city. Label by Gwyneth McCrae

Cotton Field (Broken)

D'Ascenzo Studios

Cotton Field (Broken), 1932

In 2016, this stained-glass panel was broken in an act of protest by Corey Menafee, an African American man who worked in a residential dining hall at Yale University. The painted glass shows two slaves standing in a cotton field with full baskets balanced on their heads. Created in 1932, the image conveys a sanitized version of slavery associated with a romanticized history of the antebellum South. Menafee confronted this representation of enforced labor during his workdays until one day when he decided to stand on a chair and break the glass with his broom handle. His action was not driven by national or local protests, but reflected a response to a work of art that illuminated silent symbolic support for an institutionalized labor system of racial inequity. Label by Kelly Conway

Self Care is Self Preservation

Kimberly Marie Ashby, American

Self Care is Self Preservation, 2020

Self Care is Self Preservation by Kimberly Marie Ashby consists of a black woman surrounded by flowers and marijuana leaves. In this poster, the artist is placing marijuana in an unconventional context that portrays it as a benign and aesthetic plant like any other. This calls attention to the disproportionate number of people of color serving long sentences for nonviolent crimes of marijuana possession. Portraying marijuana in a benign, decorative way, opposes this fact and makes it appear unjust. This message is especially relevant during a time when the legalization of marijuana is highly debated and the U.S. has the highest number of incarcerated citizens in the world. Label by Jordan Stofko