Threshold, 2023. Resin, wood, plexiglass, LED lights.
A threshold, by definition, is a boundary that defines and divides separate spaces. This could be something like the space that separates inside(private) from outside (public) space, or the traffic median that separates the North and South sides of Broad Street. A threshold can also be seen as a transitional, or liminal space, in regards to both space AND time. As suggested by the likes of Victor Turner and Friedrich Nietzsche, as we pass from the present into the future, we continuously cross through liminal thresholds into states of becoming.
Historically, the border that ‘Threshold’ sits on also represents the bounds of a community that was forced to exist in solitude, excluded from the rights and inclusion of society. Through acts of political violence such as segregation, voting district gerrymandering, and displacement — the basic human needs of the Jackson ward community were challenged continuously. Despite all odds, a unified people persisted in creating a thriving community that is better known today as Jackson Ward.
The ‘Threshold’ Pillars, a play off of classic Roman triumphal arches, acts as a doorway into a region that is in continued flux and perhaps more than any other neighborhood in the region, is defined by its ability to persist in the face of adversity. ‘Threshold’ is a memorial to this virtue, seen through past circumstances and achievements, present transformation, and future potentials.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to Dylan Languell and Keenan Rowe for your knowledge and patience and for helping me to see this project through to completion despite the various challenges. To Build RVA and Emily Brown for providing accessible spaces to work. To my parents for continuing to root me on and support me in a multitude of ways. To The Black History Museum, Janis Allen, and the locals of Jackson Ward for offering insight and encouragement as I developed this work. Last but not least, thank you to everyone from 1708 Gallery for making this happen and offering a platform for artists to exhibit and push their creative practices. Much love to all.
Filed Under: Public Art, Sculpture, Place-Based, Monuments, Public Memory.
A threshold, by definition, is a boundary that defines and divides separate spaces. This could be something like the space that separates inside(private) from outside (public) space, or the traffic median that separates the North and South sides of Broad Street. A threshold can also be seen as a transitional, or liminal space, in regards to both space AND time. As suggested by the likes of Victor Turner and Friedrich Nietzsche, as we pass from the present into the future, we continuously cross through liminal thresholds into states of becoming.
Historically, the border that ‘Threshold’ sits on also represents the bounds of a community that was forced to exist in solitude, excluded from the rights and inclusion of society. Through acts of political violence such as segregation, voting district gerrymandering, and displacement — the basic human needs of the Jackson ward community were challenged continuously. Despite all odds, a unified people persisted in creating a thriving community that is better known today as Jackson Ward.
The ‘Threshold’ Pillars, a play off of classic Roman triumphal arches, acts as a doorway into a region that is in continued flux and perhaps more than any other neighborhood in the region, is defined by its ability to persist in the face of adversity. ‘Threshold’ is a memorial to this virtue, seen through past circumstances and achievements, present transformation, and future potentials.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to Dylan Languell and Keenan Rowe for your knowledge and patience and for helping me to see this project through to completion despite the various challenges. To Build RVA and Emily Brown for providing accessible spaces to work. To my parents for continuing to root me on and support me in a multitude of ways. To The Black History Museum, Janis Allen, and the locals of Jackson Ward for offering insight and encouragement as I developed this work. Last but not least, thank you to everyone from 1708 Gallery for making this happen and offering a platform for artists to exhibit and push their creative practices. Much love to all.
Filed Under: Public Art, Sculpture, Place-Based, Monuments, Public Memory.