Gay Liberation Monument facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gay Liberation |
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The memorial as seen from one of the park's entrances
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| Artist | George Segal |
| Year | 1980 |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Location | New York City; Stanford, California |
| 40°44′01″N 74°00′09″W / 40.73359°N 74.00243°W | |
The Gay Liberation Monument is a special sculpture by American artist George Segal. It is found in Christopher Park in Manhattan, New York City. This monument is located on Christopher Street in the West Village area.
The artwork honors the Stonewall riots, which were important events for equal rights. The monument shows four figures: two men standing and two women sitting. They are placed in natural, relaxed poses. The statues are made of bronze and are covered in white paint. They were created in 1980 using plaster molds of real people. The monument also includes two benches and a special plaque. It was officially opened on June 23, 1992. Today, it is part of the Stonewall National Monument.
The idea for the sculpture came in 1979. This was ten years after the Stonewall events. The Mildred Andrews Fund from Cleveland asked for the artwork. They wanted it to be placed in a public spot. The fund asked that the sculpture show love and care. It also needed to include both men and women equally. This sculpture was the first public artwork made to support LGBTQ+ rights. It was meant for New York City. However, some people found it too controversial at first. So, it was placed in Orton Park in Madison, Wisconsin, from 1986 to 1991. The New Harvest Foundation helped pay for its installation there. Finally, in 1992, it moved to New York City. After it arrived, a person named Marsha P. Johnson, who was part of the Stonewall events, shared her thoughts. She wondered how many people had worked hard for these statues to be in the park.
In August 2015, some people painted two of the figures' faces brown. They did this to protest that the statues mainly showed white people. They felt the statues did not fully represent the diverse people who led the movement.
Stanford University Connection
Artist George Segal visited the Gay People’s Union (GPU) at Stanford University. This was an early student group for LGBTQ+ people. George had just learned that San Francisco and Los Angeles would not accept a second copy of his sculpture. He was wondering what to do with it. A GPU member, Mike Brady, suggested that Stanford could take it.
In 1984, a copy of the sculpture was placed on Stanford University's Main Quad. It was given as a "long term loan." Over the first ten years, the sculpture was damaged a few times. But eventually, it became a respected part of Stanford's public art collection.
Images for kids
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George Segal's bronze sculpture, part of the Gay Liberation Monument in Christopher Park, photographed during the Pulse memorial, 2016
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A close-up view of the lesbian couple depicted in Segal's 'Gay Liberation'
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A view of Segal's sculpture in the park
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See also
In Spanish: Monumento a la Liberación Gay para niños
