Shadow of a Face

Last updated
Shadow of a Face
Shadow of a Face
ArtistNina Cooke John
Completion date2023
Subject Harriet Tubman
Dimensions25 feet (7.6 m) cm(??);40 feet (12 m) cm diameter
Location Newark, New Jersey, US
Coordinates 40°44′36.43″N74°10′11.61″W / 40.7434528°N 74.1698917°W / 40.7434528; -74.1698917
OwnerCity of Newark
Website website

Shadow of a Face is a monument to abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Newark, New Jersey's Harriet Tubman Square designed by architect and artist Nina Cooke John. It was unveiled on March 9, 2023. It replaced a monument to Christopher Columbus in the same location which was removed in 2020 by the city to prevent its toppling in a Black Lives Matter protest. [1] Several other monuments are in the park.

Contents

Design

The design is governed in plan by circles, which symbolize community connection across time and space, according to Cooke John. [2] It is 25 feet (7.6 m) tall and 40 feet (12 m) wide. [3] [4] The monument is made of a curved poured-in-place concrete wall with a six foot tall bas-relief of Tubman's face on the side facing the Newark Museum of Art and a mosaic of blue tiles made by community members on the other. A second curved wall made of wood slats on the exterior and corten steel on the interior contains a timeline of Tubman's life as well as panels that present information on Black liberation history in the city and state. [4] A 25-foot tall black steel silhouette of Tubman rises from the monument's interior. An abstracted cape made of black steel and plastic conduit floats over the wood slat wall. There is one bench made of concrete and wood slats in the monument's interior and one on the exterior. The outline of Columbus's plinth is inscribed in the ground.

Integrated speakers play audio narrating Tubman's life by Newark native Queen Latifah and reflections from community members. [4] Lights within the silhouette and in the ground light up the monument at night. Signs on a steel electricity box explain the monument and the park's history. The monument is encircled with hexagonal concrete pavers, some of which are engraved with donor names, and a short pink granite retaining wall that defines the park from the sidewalk.

The name of the work was inspired by "Runagate Runagate" a 1962 Robert Hayden poem which references Tubman. [5]

History

In October 2020, Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka announced that the city would replace the monument to Columbus with one to Harriet Tubman [6] with the City of Newark commissioning five local artists to present proposals to a 14-person jury. In June 2021, the city announced the selection of Cooke John to complete the monument. [7]

Community members have disputed Tubman's connection to Newark [4] and the decision to rename the park in her honor. Some have also criticized the removal of Columbus without a public hearing as erasing an important part of American history. [8] [9]

The monument was originally rejected by a state historic preservation panel (the park and statue of Columbus are contributing properties to the James Street Commons Historic District) for not adequately consulting with the area's Italian community and asked to be presented with a plan that included statues to both Columbus and Tubman. [10] The panel was subsequently overruled by a state commissioner, allowing the construction of Cooke John's proposal. [11]

The project is a Grace Farms Design for Freedom pilot project, meaning many of its materials were examined to ensure that they were produced with forced labor-free materials. [12]

The monument was unveiled on March 9, 2023, by Mayor Ras Baraka, First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy, Queen Latifah, Cooke John, Don Katz and other local dignitaries following a press conference at Audible's Innovation Cathredral. [13]

The monument's surrounding hardscape was completed in November 2023, including the addition of a short pink granite retaining wall and completion of the paved area.

See also

Related Research Articles

Hoboken, New Jersey, is home to many parks, historical landmarks, and other places of interest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weequahic Park</span> United States historic place

Weequahic Park is a park located in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey, USA, designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm,. The park is 311.33 acres including an 80-acre (320,000 m2) lake. The Weequahic Park Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 2003, for its significance in architecture, community planning, and landscape architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prudential Center</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Newark, New Jersey, U.S.

Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the New York Sirens of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). By 2023, it was among the top five concert venues worldwide by earnings. The arena is owned by the Newark Housing Authority and operated through Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Tubman Square station</span>

Harriet Tubman Square station is a light rail station on the Newark Light Rail's Broad Street Extension. It is located in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, on the southbound side of Broad Street between Bridge and Lombardy Streets adjacent to Washington Park. The station only serves trains in the southbound direction, the nearby Atlantic Street station is served by northbound trains. It is directly across from the headquarters of IDT Corporation and 1 Washington Park and during the afternoon rush hour carries many outgoing commuters from these buildings to Newark Penn Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Washington Park</span> Skyscraper

One Washington Park is a high rise office building located on Harriet Tubman Square at 1 Washington Street in Newark, New Jersey. Among the tallest buildings in the city, it is best known as the home of Rutgers Business School, Amazon's Audible.com, and Newark Venture Partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frieda Garcia</span> Activist

Frieda Garcia is a longtime activist and community organizer in the South End and Roxbury areas of Boston, Massachusetts. She served as Executive Director of the United South End Settlement for 20 years and was one of the founding members of La Alianza Hispana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Tubman Square</span> City square in Essex County, New Jersey, US

Harriet Tubman Square is a city square in Downtown Newark, New Jersey.

<i>Harriet Tubman Memorial</i> (New York City) Sculpture in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

The Harriet Tubman Memorial, also known as Swing Low, located in Manhattan in New York City, honors the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The intersection at which it stands was previously a barren traffic island, and is now known as "Harriet Tubman Triangle". As part of its redevelopment, the traffic island was landscaped with plants native to New York and to Tubman's home state of Maryland, representing the land which she and her Underground Railroad passengers travelled across.

The Hudson County Park System owns and operates several county parks in Hudson County, New Jersey. It has its roots in the City Beautiful movement around the turn of the twentieth century. The system comprises eight parks comprising 716.52 acres (290.0 ha). Additionally, the county owns acreage in preservation areas in the New Jersey Meadowlands

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halsey Street (Newark)</span> Street in Newark, New Jersey, United States

Halsey Street is a north-south street in Downtown Newark, New Jersey, which runs between and parallel to Broad Street and Washington Street. Halsey Street passes through the four of city's historic districts: James Street Commons at the north, the abutting Military Park and Four Corners and, after a two block break, Lincoln Park at the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Christopher Columbus (Newark, New Jersey)</span>

A statue of Christopher Columbus was a memorial in Washington Park in Newark, New Jersey, within the James Street Commons Historic District. It was made in Rome by Giuseppe Ciochetti and presented to the city by Newark's Italians in 1927. The statue was removed by the city in June 2020 to prevent its toppling in a Black Lives Matter protest.

The HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange, originally called The Hub for the New Jersey Innovation and Technology Hub, is a research, business incubator and innovation center under construction in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which itself is called The Hub City. It is planned to contain three buildings: H-1, H-2, and H-3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legacy of Harriet Tubman</span> Cultural influence of the African-American abolitionist

Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Halo (building complex)</span> Skyscraper in Newark, New Jersey, US

The Halo is a three-tower residential skyscraper complex under construction in Newark, New Jersey, which will include some of tallest buildings in the city. It is located on Washington Street west of Four Corners in Downtown Newark, situated between Teacher's Village and the Essex County Government Complex. The project was designed by INOA Architecture, which has also conceived other projects in Newark. The first of the three towers was topped off in 2024, becoming the 2nd tallest building in the city. As of June 2024, construction had stopped.

The Essex County Government Complex is located in Newark, the country seat of Essex County, New Jersey, U.S. at west of end of Market Street in Downtown. It is home to the Essex County Executive, the Board of County Commissioners, and the constitutional officers of the county: the County Clerk, the County Surrogate, and the County Sheriff as well as the County Register. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office and the 5th Vininage of New Jersey Superior Court is based at the government complex, across from which is the campus of Essex County College. The complex comprises various buildings built since 1904, when the historic courthouse was constructed, and is adorned with public art, including statues and busts of prominent civic leaders. Numerous state and county offices are located at the complex, which also has extensive parking facilities.

References

  1. ↑ Panico, Rebecca (2020-06-26). "Another Christopher Columbus statue removed from N.J. city park". NJ Advance Media. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  2. ↑ "Harriet Tubman Monument Project — The Newark Museum of Art". newarkmuseumart.org. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  3. ↑ Carrillo, Karen Juanita (March 9, 2023). "Newark unveils long-awaited Harriet Tubman monument". New York Amsterdam News.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Barron, James (2023-03-09). "A Monument to Harriet Tubman Replaces a Columbus Statue in Newark". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  5. ↑ Franklin, Jonathan (March 13, 2023). "A Monument of Harriet Tubman Now Replaces a Statue of Christopher Columbus in Newark". NPR . Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  6. ↑ "5 Artists Submit Designs for Harriet Tubman Monument. What do you think?". TAPinto. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  7. ↑ "City Announces Winning Design for New Harriet Tubman Monument in Washington Park". TAPinto. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  8. ↑ Tobia, Darren (2020-06-26). "As Anti-Racism Protests Sweep the Nation, Italians Stand Their Ground on Columbus Issue". Jersey Digs. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  9. ↑ "In Newark, Cultures Clash Over Whose Day is Columbus Day". TAPinto. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  10. ↑ Tobia, Darren (2022-06-29). "'Confrontational' Tubman Monument in Newark Rejected by State Panel". Jersey Digs. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  11. ↑ Tobia, Darren (2022-08-01). "State Commissioner Overrules Panel, Paves Way for Newark's Tubman Statue". Jersey Digs. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  12. ↑ "Design for Freedom Pilot Projects". Design For Freedom. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  13. ↑ NJ.com, Deion Johnson | NJ Advance Media for (March 9, 2023). "Newark unveils Harriet Tubman monument honoring Underground Railroad conductor". nj.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.