Plaques with additional information will help highlight sensitive historical moments instead of avoiding them.
Teddy Roosevelt statue. Source: Wally Gobetz/Flickr Creative Commons
The past year has been marked with protests across the US against monuments to persons whose actions can’t be considered great from today’s perspective due to racism and other nuances.
In New York City, the authorities decided not to remove monuments, such as statues of Teddy Roosevelt and Christopher Columbus, but to use them for taking a fresh look at history. It was the recommendation given by by the Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments and Markers after months of debate and discussions.
“Reckoning with our collective histories is a complicated undertaking with no easy solution,” artnet.com quotes Mayor Bill de Blasio as saying. “Our approach will focus on adding detail and nuance to—instead of removing entirely—the representations of these histories.”
He added: “We’ll be taking a hard look at who has been left out and seeing where we can add new work to ensure our public spaces reflect the diversity and values of our great city.”
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