Have you seen Boston’s new public monument yet? “The Embrace,” a huge bronze sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas, was unveiled in Boston over the weekend. Titled “The Embrace,” it’s a 20-foot-tall bronze sculpture of arms locked in a hug, the pose borrowed from a famous photograph of the couple that was taken when MLK won the Nobel Prize in 1964.
Hank Willis Thomas, a conceptual artist, had no clue a few years ago that he would play a significant role in honoring Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr. But he was surprised when, out of 125 ideas, his was chosen to design a new monument in Boston to honor civil rights leaders.
The unveiling of Thomas’ sculpture took place on Friday at Boston Common, the nation’s oldest city park, in the heart of Boston. It aims to both inspire tourists and respect the Kings’ legacy. The 20-foot-long by 26-foot-wide bronze sculpture, “The Embrace,” shows the King’s arms, shoulders, and hands hugging after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, a moment that was captured in a well-known photograph.
But the sculpture has become a new sensation for the people. Bostonians are really divided on whether they like this new sculpture or not. There’s a swarm of memes and jokes roaming around on Twitter. Some Twitter users are even calling for taking down the sculpture, calling it an “ugly brass thing.”
According to Thomas, the monument represents the force of a memorable moment while also representing the love, heart, and soul of the couple.
He remarked, “In that photo, you can see the weight of him on her shoulders as they embrace.” She carried his memory on her shoulders for many years after he was slain, and I recognized that this was truly a metaphor for his legacy.
The sculpture is located where King led 20,000 protesters in the Northeast’s first civil rights march in 1965 against school segregation. It is already an important historical site and is visited by tourists.
Greta, who was traveling with us to Logan Airport from New England, said that she liked the new monument just enough, but she’s thankful she doesn’t have to see it every day.
Go ahead now at our website- bostonairportshuttle.com to book your ride with us to the monument to see the monument for yourself and give your opinion.
