Let's keep connecting on sculpture project

Written by Brian Payne

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick was created as a vehicle to help us connect -- with Downtown's cultural districts and venues, with diverse neighborhoods, with meaningful public artworks and with the many other trails and greenways our city proudly offers. It was also created to help us connect with each other.

Just the potential of a new art installation on the trail -- Fred Wilson's "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of Many, One) -- has helped many people connect in ways that likely would not have happened before. Wilson's inspiration is an existing figure on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. He proposes giving this maligned figure a new life by placing it in a prominent location where anyone, from any walk of life, could engage in meaningful discussions about the artwork. Or anything else they wish to share.

"When I looked at that sculpture, I saw the man," Wilson has said. In his mind, it was an injustice that the only public representation of Indianapolis' thriving black community was the image on Monument Circle. His intent was not to merely recreate that image, but instead take its story to a new level, one removed from the seemingly despairing constraints of his present "home."

By focusing on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Wilson did not intend to overshadow other notable local and national heroes who undeniably could serve as inspirations for future artworks. It is Wilson's hope that this project will foster opportunities for more African-American artists and that more people of color will be celebrated in the public realm. But he kept coming back to Monument Circle and his desire to tell the story of that one image.

We understand that some members of our community find Wilson's vision objectionable. As community leaders, our responsibility is to be purposeful, and to get this project right. This begins with ensuring that people understand what this project is -- and what it is not. As we have since the project's inception, we invite community members to share their concerns with us, because we are listening.

To that end we recently announced the removal of the City-County Building as a potential location for the artwork. There are also other components to consider, including whether this project moves forward or not. The community will help determine that decision.

Wilson's project is currently on hold. Our next move involves holding community meetings, sponsored by the Central Indiana Community Foundation and the Race and Cultural Relations Leadership Network, where people can openly and honestly exchange perspectives about what happens next and about race relations in Indianapolis. Until the meetings dates are announced, we encourage you to comment at www.fredwilsonindy.org or call us at (317) 631-6542, ext. 173.

This is a challenging and public work of art. Already it has created the opportunity for us to talk with one another and to discuss our past, present and future. This has not been an easy process, and some say it has led to more division. However, I am confident this process will ultimately leave our community more united than before. If you haven't already, I invite you to connect with us and join the conversation.

Payne is president and CEO of the Central Indiana Community Foundation and The Indianapolis Foundation.