The Embrace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Embrace |
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| Artist | Hank Willis Thomas |
| Year | 2023 |
| Medium | Bronze sculpture |
| Subject | |
| Dimensions | 6.7 m (22 ft); height |
| Weight | 400,000 pounds (180,000 kg) |
| Location | Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 42°21′18″N 71°03′52″W / 42.35494°N 71.06436°W | |
The Embrace is a large bronze sculpture created by artist Hank Willis Thomas. It was placed in Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts, in December 2022. This artwork honors Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, who were important leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. The sculpture shows four arms linked together, like a hug. This hug represents the one Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King shared when he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
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What is The Embrace Sculpture?
The Embrace is a huge bronze sculpture. It stands 20-foot tall (6.1 m) and is 25-foot wide (7.6 m). The sculpture weighs 19 tons, which is like the weight of many cars!
What Does It Look Like?
The artwork shows four arms and hands twisted together. These arms represent a loving hug between Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. You can see small details like buttons on the sleeves of his arms. There is also a bracelet on her wrist. The artists made this big sculpture by welding together almost 609 smaller pieces of bronze.
What is the Sculpture's Message?
The design of The Embrace wants to show how much the Kings believed in nonviolence. It also highlights how important love was in their work. They used love as a strong reason to fight for equal rights during the Civil Rights Movement.
Where is The Embrace Located?
The sculpture is in a round area called the 1965 Freedom Plaza. This plaza honors 69 people who were civil rights leaders in Boston. They worked for change from the 1950s through the 1970s. The plaza is inside the Boston Common, which is a public park. You can find it between the Boston Common Visitor's Center and the Boston Massacre Monument.
How Was The Embrace Created?
In 2017, two groups, the Boston Foundation and Embrace Boston, started a project. They wanted to create a public artwork to remember Martin Luther King Jr. in Boston. They asked artists to send in their ideas for the artwork.
Choosing the Design
Two years later, in 2019, Hank Willis Thomas's design for The Embrace was chosen. His idea was picked from 126 different submissions. The Mass Design Group helped create the sculpture in Walla Walla, Washington.
Installation and Dedication
The large sculpture was put in place on the Boston Common in December 2022. It was officially opened on January 13, 2023. Important people attended the ceremony. The Kings' son and one of their granddaughters were also there.
See also
- Civil rights movement in popular culture
- List of public art in Boston
