"Transcending" -- Labor Landmark in Detroit
Correspondents Wes Brain and Ivend Holen, 01.07.2010 06:49
Detroit, Michigan -- Photos taken 6/24/10, time of the United States Social Forum
“Transcending,” the Michigan Labor Legacy Landmark, is a gift to the public from the labor movement. It informs visitors about the heritage of our labor movement, honors the working women and men who built our city, and inspires all with labor's vision of a world of justice.
Click Photos to make Larger
T R A N S C E N D I N G
RIMC Correspondent Ivend Holen
RIMC Correspondent Wes Brain
David Barr and Sergio De Giusti were chosen for the project by a jury drawn from the labor and arts communities. They were among 140 artists who registered for a nationwide competition.
David Barr created the 63-foot stainless-steel arch, indented with gears to symbolize Detroit's industrial heritage.
Sergio De Giusti created the bronze sculptures by drawing on events in labor and social history, the occupations of Detroit workers, and the goals of labor. Barr said he had always seen labor as a rebel movement, and so chose a circle as a counterpoint to the rectangles of the nearby skyscrapers. The Metro Times newspaper, in honoring “Transcending” with an award for public art, urges visitors to view “the symbols of capitalism through the ring that labor built”. The circle is open at the top to show that labor's work is never done. At night a light in the gap symbolizes
workers' energy.
On the raised platform are 40 quotations from labor, civil rights leaders, and others who spoke out for a world of social and economic justice and peace. Other quotations, including “The arc of history bends toward justice,” (Matin Luther King) are embedded in the walkway.
Information from the Michigan Labor History Society
5401 Cass Ave, Detroit MI 48202 
http://mlhs.wayne.edu
| Download this article in pdf format >> |
| Add this article to your pdf newsletter selection >> |
| Checkout and Download your PDF-newsletter selection >> |
| Email this article to someone >> |
| Make a quick comment on this article >> |