Artist Hank Willis Thomas will create a new monument addressing gun violence as part of the city of Boston’s $3 million public art initiative. The initiative, “Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument: Transforming Boston,” engages artists and curators in rethinking the concept and function of monuments and public art. The program was announced today by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture (MOAC) and is funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
Thomas’s commission is titled The Gun Violence Memorial Project and will be made in collaboration with Mass Design Group. Details on the design and location of the upcoming Boston installation are still to be announced, however, the artist did another work of the same name in 2021 in Washington, D.C.
“These selected public art projects celebrate diverse voices and perspectives, uplift democracy and justice, and uncover the city’s rich history while examining the complexity of American stories,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, chief of arts and culture for the city of Boston.
“Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument” will commission work by numerous artists, from filmmaker Roberto Mighty to the DJ collective A Trike Called Funk. Among the visual artists are co-founder of the local Boston nonprofit Kinfolk Idris Brewster and muralist Ruth Henry, who will contribute to reimagining the city’s public spaces through a series of art installations alongside Thomas. Going to Ground, a collaboration between American sculptor LaRissa Rogers and multimedia artist Zalika Azim, is another highly anticipated work. Details of this project are also yet to be announced.
“Public art can help challenge, reflect, and celebrate our communities, and I am so thrilled to see the work of our grant recipients across our neighborhoods,” said Wu in a press statement. “This investment in public art programs is groundbreaking and will support our efforts to highlight the many cultures, talents, and histories of our residents.”
This isn’t the first time Thomas has made public work in Boston. In January 2023, Thomas unveiled The Embrace, a 20-foot-tall bronze monument to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Boston’s 1965 Freedom Rally Memorial Plaza. Created in partnership with MASS Design Group, The Embrace is the first public sculpture dedicated to the couple.
