CulturalDC is hosting an opening celebration for 40 ACRES: Camp Barker by Sandy Williams IV at Garrison Elementary.
Sandy Williams IV's 40 ACRES: Camp Barker, a 6ft wax replica of the Lincoln Memorial. This public art piece is a commentary on DC's history of Civil War-era Contraband Camps. These refugee camps housed formerly enslaved and free African Americans. Camp Barker was positioned where Garrison Elementary now stands.
40 ACRES: Camp Barker by Sandy Williams IV is a continuation of a series of artworks that problematizes the temporal legacy of public monuments by investigating concepts of time, memory, and agency. Williams' work maps the invisible tactics of colonial, contemporary, and conceptual occupation and invites the viewer to participate in the emancipation of public space by unraveling structures of power and repression in North America. There is an invitation to light the wicks of this wax candle as an act of communal catharsis.
Commissioned by CulturalDC and supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities through the Public Art Building Communities Grant, this installation will be on view at this location from September 23, 2023, to September 2024.
Let us know you’ll be there: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/40-acres-camp-barker-by-sandy-williams-iv-tickets-708575056067?aff=oddtdtcreator
To celebrate the installation of 40 ACRES: Camp Barker by Sandy Williams IV, CulturalDC has commissioned a special limted edition Black Lincoln Candle by Sandy Williams IV. The perfect collectors piece to help support the project and the work we do at CulturalDC.
Sandy Williams IV’s The Wax Monuments are wax replicas made in the image of popular public monuments and cultural symbols such as Robert E. Lee, Mount Rushmore, and Thomas Jefferson. These sculptures are malleable, participatory, and public by nature, and the presence of wicks gives viewers the opportunity to transform these forms with a small flame and time.
Purchase yours here: https://www.culturaldc.org/mobile-arts/culturaldcstore/black-lincoln
ABOUT CULTURALDC
CulturalDC supports innovative artists across all disciplines and makes their work accessible to diverse audiences. We provide unconventional space for relevant and challenging work that is essential to nurturing vibrant urban communities.
Our driving values include equity, inclusivity, people, transparency, diversity, collaboration, cultural competency, accountability, intentionality, investing resources, accessibility, safety, and relevancy.
We strive to “Make Space for Art”.
Learn more about what we do on our website.