This sculpture portrays Sojourner Truth, born into slavery in 1797,
as the great orator she was...  the tireless advocate for freedom and
equal rights. Not seated and not simply standing, she appears to be
advancing toward us with the confidence and force of a person whose
cause is undeniably right and true. Her left hand is raised, calling or
drawing us toward her. Her more horizontal right arm and hand
counter-balances the force of her gesturing left hand. The left hand
draws us closer and lifts our hearts and minds toward the heavens.
Her right, steadies our trip and calms us guides us through her
moving oration. Palm facing down, facing the earth, we are grounded
and held in an enlightening stasis between lofty and just ideals and
their earthly application.
public sculpture         proposals                       
                                                                                      bruce papitto          
Public Sculpture Proposals pages contain images of sculpture created as entries for public art competitions
seeking sculpture to commemorate a specific individual, entity, or an historic event. Though the sculpted
models you see here did not go beyond the proposal stage shown here, I feel they have a worth all their own
and may yet find a permanent public venue.
"Preaching Truth"
.......for a Sojourner Truth Monument
Cesar Chavez
......... a Monument to be called,  "The
Fighting Man of Peace"
  
Chavez holds a labor contract in his right hand in a victorious
gesture, offering it up as the tangible fruit of long struggles. In
his other hand he holds a short-hoe, a tool commonly given to
workers for thinning out plants. It forced them to assume a
debilitating stooping-twisting position for this task. The tool is
a symbol of the cruel treatment of migrant workers. The tool’s
handle is broken and Chavez holds the halves up in a gesture
signifying victory over injustice.