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| The 7-foot-tall sculpture "Sojourner," of Mexican limestone, stood on the south patio of the Sacramento Convention Center at 13th and K streets. Photo: Renée C. Byer via sacbee.com. |
The
broken statue of abolitionist Sojourner Truth by renowned sculptor Elizabeth
Catlett Mora, knocked down by vandals in January, now lies in a warehouse
awaiting restoration that could take several months and cost $20,000.
Text
| Richard Chang for The Sacramento Bee
Published
| May 8, 2013
For 15
years, a sculpture of abolitionist Sojourner Truth watched over the south patio
of the Sacramento Convention Center at 13th and K streets.
But in
January, the statue by renowned African American artist Elizabeth Catlett Mora
was found pushed over on the ground, broken into large pieces.
"It was
brought to our attention the morning after it happened," said Sacramento
Metropolitan Arts Commission Executive Director Shelly Willis. "It's a
tragedy."
The statue
had been a prominent fixture in the area known as the Convention Center
Sculpture Garden on the short street linking L and J streets at the east end of
the K Street Mall.
Now it is in
a warehouse until officials figure out how best to restore it.
Details of
the vandalism remain unclear, and no suspects are in custody. The incident was
not reported to the Sacramento Police Department until last week, police
spokesman Doug Morse said.
Willis didn't
have an explanation for why her agency waited four months to report the
vandalism to the Police Department.
"I
don't know why the police report wasn't filed," Willis said. "But I
have to be honest, we have a very skinny staff here."
The
commission, a joint city-county agency, oversees Sacramento's public art. The
statue is valued at $250,000 and was insured through the city's risk-management
department, according to Willis.
In an email
to The Bee on Wednesday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson called the vandalism
"disgraceful."
"Sojourner
Truth is a symbol of the remarkable power of the human spirit. It is
disgraceful that somebody would vandalize a statue of such an incredible
person," he wrote.
Isabella
Baumfree, born circa 1797 as a slave, later became a well-known abolitionist
and women's rights activist. She later changed her name to Sojourner Truth. She
was also the first black woman to successfully win a case against a white man
in a U.S. court.
Mora created
the 7-foot-tall Mexican limestone piece titled "Sojourner" in 1998.
Born in Washington, D.C., in 1915, Mora graduated from Howard University in
1935 and in 1940 received the University of Iowa's first master's degree in
sculpture. Mora married a Mexican artist, Francisco Mora, in 1947. She made her
home in Mexico and became a Mexican citizen.
By the 1960s
and 70s, she had become one of the civil rights era's pre-eminent artists. Her
abstract sculptures reflected her own experiences.
She was head
of the sculpture department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
from the 1950s to '70s. She died April 2, 2012, at age 96.
Her death
complicates efforts to restore the vandalized sculpture.
"These
things are a lot easier to fix if the artist is alive," Willis said.
She
estimated it would cost $20,000 and several months to restore the sculpture.
Without the
creator, the arts commission will have to start from scratch and research
information about the sculpture's construction.
"It's
not like painting a building. There are certain methods, techniques and tools
that are used," Willis said.
Dion Dwyer,
director of community services for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, noted
that "vandalism of this sort is fairly uncommon."
"Often,
it's metal theft or tagging. It's very rare to see actual statues damaged."
The arts
commission hopes to eventually relocate it to the Community Center Theater on L
Street.
"It was
a gorgeous piece," Willis said. "It's just really sad."
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Truth be broken: the vandalized statue. Image: Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission via sacbee.com. |
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