Reconciliation Memorial (Richmond, Virginia)
Dublin Core
Title
Reconciliation Memorial (Richmond, Virginia)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Antislavery movements--United States
Transatlantic Slave Trade
Middle Passage
Southeastern United States
Public art
Public sculpture
Antislavery movements--United States
Transatlantic Slave Trade
Middle Passage
Southeastern United States
Public art
Public sculpture
Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
The bronze torsos of two abstracted figures, engaged in a tight embrace, emerge from a rectangular bronze base. Unlike its Liverpudlian counterpart, this work includes the addition of bronze low-relief designs, reflecting images related to the slave trade, including cotton plants, chains, and industrial factories. The work was erected close to Richmond’s former slave market in Shockoe Bottom.
Creator
Broadbent, Stephen
Source
Broadbent Studio
Date
March 31, 2007
Contributor
City of Richmond, Virginia; Faith Bebbington (the sculptor who assisted in the production of the finalized sculptures); The initial design work for the sculptures was undertaken by a group of young people in Liverpool, working closely with Garry Morris, the curator of the Liverpool Maritime Museum Slavery Exhibition, and were completed by selected young people from Benin and Richmond.
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
East Main Street Richmond, Virginia, 23219, United States
Alternative Title
Reconciliation Triangle
Has Part
Inscription on base:
"Reconnaissons et pardonnons le passé
Célébrons le présent
Construisons l'avenir dans
la réconciliation et la justice.
Acknowledge and forgive the past
Embrace the present
Shape a future
of reconciliation and justice."
"Reconnaissons et pardonnons le passé
Célébrons le présent
Construisons l'avenir dans
la réconciliation et la justice.
Acknowledge and forgive the past
Embrace the present
Shape a future
of reconciliation and justice."
Adjacent plaque:
“THE TRIANGLE
Liverpool, England The Benin Region of West Africa Richmond, Virginia During the 18th Century, these three places reflected one of the well-known triangles in the trade of enslaved Africans. Men, women, and children were captured in West and Central Africa and transported from Benin and other countries. They were chained, herded, loaded on ships built in England and transported through the unspeakable horrors of the Middle Passage. They were imported and exported in Richmond, Virginia and sold in other American cities. Their forced labor laid the economic foundation of this nation."
“THE TRIANGLE
Liverpool, England The Benin Region of West Africa Richmond, Virginia During the 18th Century, these three places reflected one of the well-known triangles in the trade of enslaved Africans. Men, women, and children were captured in West and Central Africa and transported from Benin and other countries. They were chained, herded, loaded on ships built in England and transported through the unspeakable horrors of the Middle Passage. They were imported and exported in Richmond, Virginia and sold in other American cities. Their forced labor laid the economic foundation of this nation."
Has Version
One other identical version of this work exists in Benin
Extent
144 in. (365.76 cm.)
Medium
Bronze
Bibliographic Citation
Broadbent, Stephen. "Reconciliation Triangle." Broadbent Studio, accessed April 11, 2019. https://broadbent.studio/reconciliation-triangle-casestudy
Rights Holder
Renée Ater
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
144'' (365.76 cm)
Citation
Broadbent, Stephen, “Reconciliation Memorial (Richmond, Virginia),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 9, 2024, https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1140.