Aug 27 2007
King Memorial Problems on National Mall
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6 Responses to “King Memorial Problems on National Mall”
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Absolutely right, Gilbert and Lee!
There’s more to the story than what is making the news. As Lou Dobbs said on CNN in May to David Hamilton, Project Director of MLK Project…”What were you folks thinking?” The way the Chinese sculptor was chosen is suspect. Is it time for the nation to call for the MLK Memorial group to reveal what they are using the money for that they have raised so far? Should not the donors of the public project on the National Mall get a rendering of the $82 million received to date? Why are we being asked to pay for having thousands of pounds of Chinese granite being shipped to America? Thanks to the Youngs for revealing this shameful thing the Alpha brother project is doing!!!!
Thank goodness for the facts being revealed by www.thegibsonreport.today.com and Gilbert Young. It’s going to be a sad dedication when the King Memorial Site is finished and revealed. It will be wrong; it will be marred because it was outsourced. Someone needs to help the MLK Board and Foundation do the right thing! Call your Congressional representatives today. Complain about the artist not knowing enough to have Dr. King holding his pen in the correct hand. Tell your representative and sponsors that an American should be carving Dr. King in stone for the National Mall memorial.
I have serious questions concerning the artist chosen for the new Martin Luther King memorial. After reading what I could find on the topic; I have several comments and questions. The primary consideration used in the selection of Lei Yixin was his artistic skill. The only first hand knowledge of this artistic skill was gained from the single work he made while participating at a symposium in Minnesota during the Winter of 2006. All other knowledge concerning his artistic skill is based on his reputation in China. Before continuing; consider the following extract from an article about the symposium:
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“As one of China’s preeminent sculptors, Lei Yixin is used to working with a team. At home he gets paid to deliver a concept while directing other workers to do most of the actual carving. “This is the first time I’ve ever carved by myself,” Yixin explained.
The symposium also offered Yixin a departure from his government-commissioned subjects, which often include commemorative themes and subjects, including national heroes, geographic regions or political figures.”
Todd Messelt, Building Stone Magazine, Winter 2006
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Photographs of the single work Lei Yixin did at the symposium are included with the article.
The only other photograph available of Lei Yixin’s work is the scale model of his ‘Stone of Hope’ shown in recent newspaper articles. Although Lei Yixin is reported to be one of China’s preeminent sculptures, having carved about 150 large marble statues; I was unable to find any photographs of that work. Look up the photographs of the sculpture Lei Yixin did at the symposium and compare that work to the ‘Stone of Hope’. Was the evaluation of the artist’s skill based upon the sculpture done at the symposium? If so, the scale model of Rev. King reflects none of the critical elements upon which the decision was made. The works have nothing in common. It is hard to believe that they were made by the same artist.
It is very difficult to understand this choice. The strong point of this artist is the ability to oversee workers in the manufacture of government commissioned works. He doesn’t develop the concepts for the work. He doesn’t do the actual carving. He runs a factory that mass produces propaganda sculpture for the Communist Chinese government. Just look at the ‘Stone of Hope’. Anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of art criticism or art history will recognize the militant hyper-realism of the work. It might as well be a statue of Mao or Stalin. If the memorial foundation thinks that Rev. King was a communist and wants his memorial to show this - they’ve made an excellent choice.
I don’t have anything against Lei Yixin. If I’m wrong I’ll apologize.
Hey… there’s no reason to apologize! Your observations and research are thorough and accurate. It is “very difficult to understand this choice.” It is also extremely difficult to understand why a work as important as this was not put out to bid, not only for the needed stone but for an artist to be competitively chosen by a panel of outstanding artists. Thank you for your comment and for keeping the dialogue going. Yours, gloria
I can’t believe Oprah, Viacom, Martin Luther King, III, the Congressional Black Caucus, and all those entertainers who showed up in New York for the Dream Concert this month… are looking the other way! Sculpting Dr. King in the wrong position, using the wrong hand, and in the wrong place (China) just goes to prove that information is not power, but potential power. Right now the information raised at www.thegibsonreport.today.com
is not being used to correct the situation. I think it’s time to change that. Let’s write our legislators and demand more oversight of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project. I’m with Lou Dobbs on CNN - What were these people thinking! Hats off to thegibsonreport for revealing serious flaws with a project we all want to see succeed. It’s time to speak out, stand for something, and demand answers!!!
Give me a call RE: June 19th hearing.