San Francisco is planning a new public art installation in Golden Gate Park for Juneteenth. According to the Mayor's press release, the art installation will honor Black lives and the history of African Americans called Monumental Reckoning. Sculptor Dan King, will be making an installation that consists of 350 sculptures representing the number of Africans forced into slavery.

The sculptural figures created in all black steel with vinyl tubing, each standing four feet high, would surround the empty pedestal where a statue of Francis Scott Key once stood. Key, who wrote the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner, was a slave owner and abolition opponent. Protestors toppled the statue on Juneteenth 2020.

Mayor London Breed said,

The art and monuments that we choose to display in our city and the civic art that fills our public spaces must reflect the diversity of our community, and honor our history. This powerful public art installation in Golden Gate Park will help us not only commemorate Juneteenth, but also serve as an example of how we can honor our past, no matter how painful, and reflect on the challenges that are still with us today.

The installation was approved by the San Francisco Arts Commission and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission’s Operations Committee. It is currently under review by the Planning Commission, if approved, the Monumental Reckoning would be open to the public on June 19, 2021. See the video of the proposed installation below.

Martha Quinn

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