“I Am Queen Mary”: Public Art and the Politics of Representation
In October 2019, an historic sculpture entitled “I Am Queen Mary” co-created by artists LaVaughn Belle and Jeannette Ehlers arrived at Barnard College on a long-term loan. The sculpture is a scaled-down iteration of the original 23-foot monument that stands outside the West Indian Warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark. The sculpture commemorates the 1878 ‘Fireburn’ labor revolt against Danish colonial power in the Virgin Islands, an uprising that was led by four women, including Mary Thomas—known as Queen Mary.
On April 27, Belle and Ehlers will be joined by Ariana Gonzalez Stokas (Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Barnard College), Mabel O. Wilson (Nancy and George Rupp Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University), and Monica L. Miller (Associate Professor, Departments of Africana Studies and English, Barnard College) to discuss the significance of the statue at Barnard College. How does “I Am Queen Mary” contribute to or challenge the politics of public art, depictions of Black women in public art, and the history of Black women and representations of Black women in art at Barnard College?
Image: Jeannette Ehlers and La Vaughn Belle standing beside “I Am Queen Mary” statue outside the West Indian Warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photograph by David Berg.