BLANK SLATE TOUR
A BLANK SLATE A Tribute to African American History in the Face of the Confederacy
LOUISVILLE, KY
June 1 – 7 ––– Kentucky African American Heritage Center
June 8 – 9 ––– Jefferson Square Park
From Louisville Tourism: “A powerful new ‘interactive’ monument that will tour across the U.S. this summer as a tribute to African American history and the ongoing fight for racial justice. The piece is designed by acclaimed Ghanaian artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, best known for his work on display at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. The Blank Slate Monument will be available to the public for several days for observation, reflection, and participation in the conversation at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage.”
From Blankslatemonument.com :
The term “Confederate monument” often conjures up images of white army generals on horseback, leading the south into battle.
The Blank Slate Palimpsest Monument (“Blank Slate”) is an awe striking, allegorical deconstruction of that notion, challenging the onlooker to seek a deeper understanding of the “African American” experience before, during and after the American Civil War (1861-1865).
Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is a versatile Ghanaian artist who is known for his work Nkyinkyim Installation/Museum, cultural activism and contributions to Ghanaian tertiary institutions and traditional communities.
His outdoor sculpture “Nkyinkyim Installation,” dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Transatlantic slave trade, is on display at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. The work is directly connected to a larger installation of the same name made up of over 1,500 portraits of Africans in the Diaspora.
