Bring Our Martin Luther King Statue Alive with Your Art!
Bring Our Martin Luther King Statue Alive with Your Art!
Hashtag your work #NewDetroitMLKStatue
TikTok MLK Jr? Sure.
Instagram MLK Jr? In an instant!
Draw MLK Jr? Why not?
Paint MLK Jr? Good idea?
Scan MLK Jr with a three-d app? Set MLK Jr. free in the metaverse.
I am in possession of an old sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. I am fascinated by it. First, the age of it suggests creation in the seventies, not long after the loss of the civil rights leader in Memphis, Tennessee. I think it is made of a ceramic material, but I’m unsure.
I don’t have a lot of clues. The statue stands on a plywood box with a handsome wood finish. To the front of this box, one finds a brass plaque that declares the following.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
JAN. 15, 1929-APRIL 4, 1968
DONATED BY NEW DETROIT, INC., CLEAN AND SAFE EDUCATION PROJECT IN CONJUNCTION WITH COURTIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL. DR. MARY JEANMARIE, PRINCIPAL
New Detroit began its work in response to the Detroit riots of 1967. The project had the support of Governor George Romney, Mayor Jerome Cavanagh, and business leader Joseph L. Hudson Jr.
According to real estate records, Courtis Elementary School began instruction in 1967. The school no longer operates as an elementary school. The Andrew Young Early College Academy at the address closed in 2014. The building looks abandoned in satellite imagery, but it might be owned by a COGIC church.
On Martin Luther King’s collar, I find the following inscription incised in the clay. I’m fairly sure 1982 is the year. The original came from the sculptor’s studio forty-two years ago. Bernadette Zachara is still active in southwest Michigan sculpture, delivering celebrated sculptures from Farmington Hills up to Manistee, Michigan and beyond.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
JANUARY 1982
I have challenged over 100 young artists to bring this sculpture to life by responding to it in art. The format is wide open. I hope we see YouTube videos of Dr. Martin and TikToks as well. A copy of our friend Dr. King would be awesome. Maybe we’ll do some timed drawings as well!
Is this a good 3D image of MLK Jr?
