The statue, which shows Abraham Lincoln extending his hand over a kneeling black man with broken shackles on his wrists, has drawn the ire of Chazen museum officials for its \u201ccomplex history,\u201d and \u201cproblematic subject matter,\u201d according<\/a> to the exhibit\u2019s website.<\/p>\n \u201cUsing the sculpture as its central focus, re:mancipation will seek to explore, dissect, and better understand racism in America,\u201d the exhibit\u2019s website states.<\/p>\n A Chazen museum representative did not respond to a request for comment from The College Fix<\/em> this week.<\/p>\n \u201cThe decision acknowledged the statue\u2019s role in perpetuating harmful prejudices and obscuring the role of Black Americans in shaping the nation\u2019s freedoms. As Frederick Douglass noted in his 1876 letter criticizing the statue, the figure of Alexander, \u2018though rising is still on his knees and nude,\u2019\u201d according to the city\u2019s website.<\/p>\n At UW Madison, upon entering the exhibit the viewer is introduced to both the founding of human civilization in Africa and the founding of the United States. As they progress through the exhibit, comparisons are made between African and American art before arriving at the central fixture of Emancipation Group.<\/p>\n In the center of the exhibit, a display dissects Emancipation Group, showing how one\u2019s interpretation of different symbols, known as iconography, shapes their understanding of a piece of art.<\/p>\n \u201cThe iconography of the Emancipation Group draws upon many historical references. Understanding the iconography helps us understand both the intended and unintended meanings of the sculpture,\u201d the display states. \u201cSometimes it is possible to interpret a symbol in multiple ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the exhibit, references are made to the Wide Awakes, a 1860 group of anti-slavery activists which represented themselves with the symbol of an open eye.<\/p>\n Viewers interact with the Wide Awake movement numerous times throughout the exhibit by drawing their \u201cre:sponses\u201d on pieces of paper printed with open eyes, viewing quilts made to depict the open eye, and a video presentation which highlights the group\u2019s rebirth as a modern social justice activism group.<\/p>\n The video ends by encouraging viewers to be \u201cwide awake\u201d in favor of anti-racism.<\/p>\n In a section called \u201cimpeach the precedent,\u201d the exhibit acknowledges comments made by abolitionist Douglass in which he laments the portrayal of the African American man in the statue kneeling \u201clike an animal.\u201d<\/p>\n Cornell University Professor Randy Wayne explained in an email to The College Fix<\/em> that this quote in context advocates for future improvement on sculptures of Lincoln.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope the historian brings in Frederick Douglass\u2019 speech at the unveiling of the original sculpture and the letter to the editor of the National Republican<\/em>,\u201d Wayne wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the letter to the editor Douglass wrote, \u2018What I want to see before I die is a monument representing the negro, not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal, but erect on his feet like a man. There is room in Lincoln park for another monument, and I throw out this suggestion to the end that it may be taken up and acted upon.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Added Wayne: \u201cI hope the new exhibit lives up to Frederick Douglass\u2019 beautiful words and sentiment. Almost more than anyone, Douglass knew how to recognize the past and plan a better future. He is a part of this sculpture\u2019s essence.\u201d<\/p>\n Wayne also noted the erection of the original statue in Washington D.C. was funded by freed slaves.<\/p>\n At the close of UW Madison\u2019s exhibit, the viewer is directed toward a response piece by Sanford Biggers called \u201cLifting the Veil.\u201d The piece, in dialogue with Ball\u2019s statue, depicts Fredrick Douglass \u201clifting the veil of ignorance\u201d from a seated Abraham Lincoln.<\/p>\n The museum, however, does not currently have \u201cLifting the Veil\u201d for display. Museum staff told The College Fix<\/em> that the timeline for the piece\u2019s arrival is currently unknown.<\/p>\n This is not the first time UW has acted with skepticism toward Lincoln\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n In 2020, BIPOC students marched<\/a> on campus\u2019 Bascom Hill to enforce their BIPOC demands<\/a>, of which removing a prominent statue of Abraham Lincoln was the top action item. Then-Chancellor Rebecca Blank refused<\/a> to take such an action, but her successor Jennifer Mnookin has since declined<\/a> to comment on her stance on the campus fixture.<\/p>\n \u201cre:mancipation\u201d currently occupies the same wing of the museum which previously housed<\/a> \u201cSifting and Reckoning,\u201d which divulged details about the university\u2019s historical ties to racism.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/EmancipationGroupLincolnStatue.jpg\")
Ball\u2019s statue is a controversial one. It was removed from a Boston public square in December 2020 after numerous complaints about \u201cdeficiencies in its design,\u201d Boston.gov reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/UWMadisonremancipationexhibit.jpg\")
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