Brooklyn Bronzes
Brooklyn Bronzes is a sculptural installation that pays tribute to the leaders and elders among us, who through their work nurture and protect Black cultural practices, and knowledge systems.
Client:
Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art
Location:
Ubuntu Park, Lennapehoking-Brooklyn
Role: artist
community engagement, installation
storytelling, 3D scanning, and building relationships, design of lost PLA process, production of 3D printed molds, coordination of lost PLA to Bronze casting, design of layout, coordination of installation.
Black communities in Brooklyn have influenced the borough for generations, but many stories about Black communities and their leaders are not widely known or formally preserved. This project creates a place where community stories and faces can be seen, listened to, and remembered.
The installation is inspired by the long tradition of bronze sculpture in West Africa, that honored important community members.
The process of creating the sculptures started with an recorded interview and a 3D scan of a community leader’s face. These digital scans were used to create molds which were then cast in bronze by an experiences Bronze Foundry. The recorded stories were built into a digital archive on the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art’s website. The finished bronze pieces were installed at Ubuntu Garden in 2023 forming a collective tribute to the people who keep community life alive in Brooklyn.
The first 20 portraits were unveiled in August 2023 at a public celebration. Many of the honorees attended with their families. Well-known community members such as playwright Lynn Nottage and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo were also present.
The installation has become a meaningful gathering spot — a place where people come to reflect, celebrate, and connect with the stories that make Brooklyn what it is. The project is ongoing, and more portraits will be added over time.
Community participants:
Laurie Cumbo, Otto Neals, Ibon Muhammad, Monifa Bandele, Lumumba Bandele, Fela Barclift, Nupol Kiazolu, Zaki Smith, Elizabeth Yeampierre, Cheif Awonsanmi Sékou Alájé, Mikki Shepard, Chi Ossé, April Walker, Dr Rob Gore, Essie Gregory, Régine M. Roumain, Johnny Nelson, Lynn Nottage, Sharon Content, Richard Beavers
Team:
Artist: Kholisile Mazithulela Mufari Dhliwayo, Artist team: Gabriel Soomar, Bronze Foundry: Gina Michaels, Tobias Canfield, MOCADA curator:Amy Andrieux, MOCADA curatorial team: Zola-Jourdan Savage
This project took place on the unceded land of the Canarsie and Munsee Lenape.