Wonkette had an interesting article yesterday about a piece of guerilla art (a sculpture) which appeared in a Portland, Ore. park.
Monument Of Black Explorer York Discovered In Portland Park
Last October, a statue of âscowlingâ Harvey Scott was toppled from its pedestal in Portlandâs Mount Tabor Park. Although I donât support vandalism, this wasnât a big loss: The conservative newspaper editor was a kind of a jerk. He opposed womenâs suffrage and public high schools, which he considered a âluxuryâ that would serve only as a âhaven for dronesâ and âundermine self-reliance and individualism.â Scottâs sister, Abigail Duniway, is more impressive. She successfully advocated for womenâs suffrage in Oregon and was the first woman to register to vote in the state.
Scottâs statue was replaced this weekend with a bust of York, the first Black person to cross North America and reach the Pacific. No one knows how the bust got there. Adena Long, the director of Portlandâs parks bureau, calls it âguerrilla public artâ â presumably she spells out the word âguerrillaâ to avoid confusion â and a âpleasant surprise.â
The New York Times reports:
York, [Long] said in an interview, is âa figure that in my mind that we need to do a better job of proactively and thoughtfully celebrating.â
Ms. Long said that she was not aware of any message about the bust from those responsible, but that it would be allowed to stand so long as it does not pose any safety risks, in line with a bureau policy regarding tributes. âWeâre hopeful the artists will make themselves known so we can have a conversation, but it will stay,â she said.
If you have no idea who York is, thatâs why we have a 1619 Project. York was William Clarkâs âlifelong body servantâ whom Clarkâs father âwilled to him,â like property with a pulse.
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