The Elephant in the Statuary Garden: Celebrating the 250th Birthday of the United States
Session will present: On locationAffiliated Society or Committee Name: Public Art Dialogue
On January 29, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order appointing himself Chair of Task Force 250, which is responsible for organizing an “extraordinary celebration of the 250th Anniversary of American Independence.” The order specifies construction of a National Garden of American Heroes this year, and the National Endowment for the Humanities has since that time issued a call for proposals.
Organizers of this session seek papers which analyze the role public statuary has played in past analogous commemorations of nation-state formation in any time and/or geographic region. Alternatively, papers may propose ideal (or unideal) contributions to the stated goals of Task Force 250 in light of present opportunities, challenges, and audiences for public art.
Keywords:
Geographic Area: United States of America
Time Period: Twenty-First Century
Topics: Social History
Topics: Politics
Topics: Memory Studies
Chairs:
Amy B. Werbel, Fashion Institute of Technology
and
Karen D. Shelby
Abstract Submissions Closed