A new temporary public installation is primed Feb. 27 to turn heads, prompt awes and forge community. Free and open to the public, the Monuments outdoor artwork will transform the streetscape near the George Street entrance Charleston Gaillard Center into an illuminated shared space inspiring recognition and reflection.
Monuments, a globally recognized outdoor projection-based installation by internationally acclaimed, Australia-based artist Craig Walsh, will project the likenesses of three Charlestonians who were chosen as exemplary “living legends” in the Charleston area. The honorees were nominated by the community and selected by a jury of local leaders.
The projections of the three honorees featured in the installation will be on view at designated times nightly from Feb. 27 to March 31, illuminating the George Street-adjacent trees across from the Gaillard.
Living and giving
The bona fides of the trio who will be displayed in light attest to their community contributions.
Diane Hamilton is a West Ashley educator, historian and community advocate whose work has preserved the history of the Maryville neighborhood.
Leroy Moore, a case manager with North Charleston–based nonprofit Neighbors Together, works to support individuals and families through direct service and resource connection.
Jeffrey Yungman, an assistant public defender, has focused his career on legal advocacy for vulnerable populations, including individuals experiencing homelessness.
The aim of the installation is far more than just beaming projected portraits in the trees flanking the Gaillard. The intention is to challenge traditional ideas of commemoration. Rather than extolling historical figures — a frequently divisive practice, the site-specific initiative honors those among us who are presently contributing to the community in substantive ways.
Walsh’s hope is to encourage reflection on visibility, legacy and collective memory.
Walsh’s site-responsive works have animated natural environments and features including trees, rivers and mountains, as well as public art projects in urban and architectural spaces.
A public scene
In recent months, Charleston Gaillard Center has activated its public-facing space in ways that bode well for community members seeking to engage in the cultural life of Charleston — and often doing so by making full use of grounds surrounding its building. In a statement, The Gaillard said its aim is to offer accessible, community-centered art experiences.
On Dec. 14, it unveiled a sculptural memorial fountain, the Anson Street African Burial Memorial, a work created by North Carolina artist Stepen L. Hayers Jr. honoring 36 burial sites discovered during the center’s renovation that was completed in 2015. That month, the center also welcomed the return of its annual Spiegeltent, a replica of a 1930s tent offering holiday programming that is intended to animate the Calhoun Street side of the campus.
“Monuments is another one of our 10-year anniversary projects,” Lissa Frenkel, president and CEO of the Charleston Gaillard Center, told Charleston City Paper, adding to others including the newly commissioned contemporary ballet Dark Water, which premieres March 6 and 7.
Frenkel said Monuments was motivated by the desire for Charleston’s perspective to be front and center in Gaillard’s commissioning program over the year.
A new view of monuments
“Monuments felt particularly important because of our community’s history with monuments and how that’s evolving,” she said, citing that the new Anson African Burial Memorial offers a very different take on what monuments can mean, who they commemorate and how they can be brought to life in a community.
The local jury thato reviewed nominations and selected the honorees included Rabbi Stephanie Alexander, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE); Dr. Thaddeus J. Bell, founder of Closing the Gap in Health Care; LaVanda Brown, executive director of YWCA Greater Charleston; Lee Deas, founder of Obviouslee; Jayme Host, dean, College of Charleston School of the Arts; Asiah Mae, poet laureate of Charleston; John Powell, president and CEO of Southeastern Wildlife Exposition; Jonatan Guerrero Ramirez, program director of We Are Family; dancer and accessible yoga instructor Marka Danielle Rodgers; Timothy Rogers, managing director, Charleston Stage; and Nicole Taney, vice president of artistic programming, Charleston Gaillard Center.
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Monuments is on view from Feb. 27 to March 31 nightly from 7 p.m.
to 10 p.m. and on Feb. 27 from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., George Street in front of the Gaillard. Free. More: gaillardcenter.org
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