And thus I began the creative process making sketches, loose renderings
of intertwined figures on a battle field. What were they thinking
and how were they interacting? How could they portray a look to
the past while communicating the hope of the future? And what of
the racial tensions of the day? I was aware that the park was consistently
filled with classical figurative memorials and thus I determined
I should be thinking in terms of human figures, real men with real
blood and guts and the beauty and mystery of the human body formed
with a sensitivity to the fragile nature of our survival day to
day. In a flash of light, our lives here can be extinguished. I
had lived with that certainty through the living memory that my
own father had died instantly in a Volkswagen bug. Certainly among
the rolling hills and marshes along the Mississippi River in 1863,
that reality would be tangible to these men, inhaled with each battle
breath.
The photographs and still images of the Civil War served as resources
for attire and accouterments, but there was obviously no specific
image to be copied or adapted to this project. As is often my method,
to conceive such a form would require some verbal language to talk
myself into a visual language. I began to write down my thoughts
and emotions and hopes for the monument. In doing so I arrived at
an initial form, simple elements of three human figures, two black
and one white, non-specific soldiers in an American Civil War. They
would be men whose sacrifices placed them on common ground, no greater
but no less than any other man who lost limb or life.
In the design that I formed quickly and loosely in oil-based clay
onto my armature of aluminum wire, the black man to the right, while
helping a fallen fellow human, the white soldier, looks back with
anguish and sadness to a past filled if not with pain then certainly
with limitations and a splintered light of hope. His rough, farm-like
attire suggests his volunteer spirit to help settle the conflict
(the committee would later refer to him as representing the civilian
contributions of Mississippians of African descent), while the shovel
and pick ax on the ground underneath him suggest the various contributions
and duties black troops and civilians provided, including digging
trenches, forging canals on the Louisiana side of the river, and
digging graves.
The other black soldier wears a uniform, paying tribute to the Union
Colored Troops. He is supported by a rifle, a reminder
of the bloody sacrifices made, here used symbolically as an instrument
to help pull a wounded nation back to health, while he looks up
hopefully to a future of freedom in a land that was indeed settled
based on a hope of just that. His face would communicate in no uncertain
terms that something went drastically wrong.
The critically injured white soldier in the middle would represent
the pain, horror and trauma of the war itself. Ironically, his clothing
would yield no clues to identify his affiliation. The division,
however, is made clear with no reference to the color of his coat
or its style; rather, the color of his skin. He is white. They are
black.
With this basic framework of theory and form, I was on my way to
a workable design concept. I did, however, have one major problem.
The people who were in charge of the monument had no idea of my
concept or my interest for that matter.
Aware that the Department of Archives and History would be the governmental
body in charge, I sought an audience with its director, Elbert Hilliard.
Mr. Hilliard had long been associated with the department and the
Historian became the director in 1980 following Charlotte Capers.
Since I had no idea how far the committee or this department had
gone in investigating this project, I could only approach them by
stating my passion to be involved and present my initial ideas and
writings regarding how I would approach the sculpture for the memorial.
I would share with them some of my other works in bronze and present
the small clay model of three figures. If nothing else, I would
have an idea where the project stood and what the process would
be.
During our meeting, I became aware of the potential difficulty in
coming to a consensus as to what such a Mississippi monument to
honor the contributions of Colored Troops to the Civil War would
involve. Although Mississippi and its citizens have made great strides
in finding harmony, the state has had a long history of racial tension,
leaving many around the country believing we have never overcome
the images and realities of the turbulent civil rights struggles
of the 1960s. Old scars fade slowly and painful memories die
hard. In that light, Mr. Hilliard voiced concern that such a monument
erected by the state should honor all Mississippians of African
descent who participated in the War.
In this meeting I learned more of Robert Walker, his long persistent
work to see this monument realized, and his desire that the figures
represent only the 1st and 3rd Mississippi Infantry Regiments of
African Descent. It was obvious that Mr. Hilliard had great respect
for Mr. Walker, yet the Department of Archives and History felt
they were responsible to ensure that this monument was reflective
of the various contributions of black Mississippians on both sides
of the Civil War, Union and Confederate.
My concept of one uniformed black man and another in farm attire
both escorting and assisting from the battle a white uniformed soldier
could be a starting point to curb any potential protests of the
Mississippi monument.
Months passed with no clarification of the committees plans.
I remained hopeful but realistically prepared myself that this would
not be my first monumental sculpture project. I felt guilty for
wondering if my race would be an obstacle to Robert Walker. I thought
if I could spend some time with him he would have an opportunity
to assess my motives and artistic vision. Only then could we both
know if I was the right artist for this important work.
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