WEDNESDAY: Tougaloo - Civil Rights
TOUGALOO college participants felt challenged to transform a cubistic mansion into a positive Tougaloo. Prof. Bruce O'Hara came everyday with his wife Anne, bringing more work the art department had done.
"The reaction of Prof. O'Hara when he saw what you (M!A) had done to his Tougaloo piece, with the strings you strung around it. He was stunned and I was stunned that he was stunned! I thought he may resent the intrusion, although it really was the name of the game. But he loved it. He said it opened his eyes on new gestures to apply to the work."
"Where History Meets the Future"
"The front of the structure represents our present and future. The bright colors represent the energetic and vibrant personalities that are characteristic of the campus. At the top of the mansion, people of all colors are seen working together pulling it back in place. Where once it stood as a representation of the slave plantation on which it was built, the present and future see it as a place of higher learning for all people. “TOUGALOO” means the conversion of two rivers which is symbolized by the winding ramps and pathway. The ramps can also be interpreted as a bridge spanning troubled waters. The walk across it, begins with a welcome message written in five different languages. Red and blue ribbons feature the college’s colors on one part of the ramp, while the college’s sororities and fraternities are symbolized by their colors on another part of the ramp. All along the front, is a design made with clay gears of different colors and patterns representing the uniqueness of people. Additionally, it suggests how great things can be accomplished, if all of them would work together. This idea was initiated and realized by Korean exchange student Jee-Yeon Yang.
The cast shadow of the mansion on the other side of the pathway represents TOUGALOO College’s lasting influence over Jackson, Mississippi, the United States and even the world, resulting from participation in the Civil Rights Movement. Here prominent quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., are written, expressing his vision for the future. At the top is part of Tougaloo College’s Alma Mater, which uses the mother eagle as a symbol for TOUGALOO, preparing it’s eaglets/students for successful flight when they graduate and move on. The top piece of the chapel was constructed to reflect our faith and life within its historic walls.
Located on the back of the structure are photographs of TOUGALOO’s participation in the Jackson Civil Rights Movement. TOUGALOO’s history is represented on the back sides of the chapel where there are photographs of the TOUGALOO Nine and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Past teachers and students are also seen, engaged in various activities ranging from blacksmithing and woodworking in the early days, to scientific study in more recent years. The TOUGALOO Nine students from TOUGALOO College and members of the NAACP Youth Council, staged a sit-in in 1960, at the all white public library in Jackson. They were protesting the fact that it was a public facility and paid for by public taxation, yet was closed to them. After refusing to leave, they were arrested and charged with disturbing the peace. This group was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson and is honored in this artwork by appearing on the eagle which flies over the chapel. On the back of the cast shadow are photographs depicting the Freedom Riders and protests happening in the city of Jackson which included participation by some TOUGALOO students as well as faculty members." Prof. Katrina Harrington
"The front of the structure represents our present and future. The bright colors represent the energetic and vibrant personalities that are characteristic of the campus. At the top of the mansion, people of all colors are seen working together pulling it back in place. Where once it stood as a representation of the slave plantation on which it was built, the present and future see it as a place of higher learning for all people. “TOUGALOO” means the conversion of two rivers which is symbolized by the winding ramps and pathway. The ramps can also be interpreted as a bridge spanning troubled waters. The walk across it, begins with a welcome message written in five different languages. Red and blue ribbons feature the college’s colors on one part of the ramp, while the college’s sororities and fraternities are symbolized by their colors on another part of the ramp. All along the front, is a design made with clay gears of different colors and patterns representing the uniqueness of people. Additionally, it suggests how great things can be accomplished, if all of them would work together. This idea was initiated and realized by Korean exchange student Jee-Yeon Yang.
The cast shadow of the mansion on the other side of the pathway represents TOUGALOO College’s lasting influence over Jackson, Mississippi, the United States and even the world, resulting from participation in the Civil Rights Movement. Here prominent quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., are written, expressing his vision for the future. At the top is part of Tougaloo College’s Alma Mater, which uses the mother eagle as a symbol for TOUGALOO, preparing it’s eaglets/students for successful flight when they graduate and move on. The top piece of the chapel was constructed to reflect our faith and life within its historic walls.
Located on the back of the structure are photographs of TOUGALOO’s participation in the Jackson Civil Rights Movement. TOUGALOO’s history is represented on the back sides of the chapel where there are photographs of the TOUGALOO Nine and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Past teachers and students are also seen, engaged in various activities ranging from blacksmithing and woodworking in the early days, to scientific study in more recent years. The TOUGALOO Nine students from TOUGALOO College and members of the NAACP Youth Council, staged a sit-in in 1960, at the all white public library in Jackson. They were protesting the fact that it was a public facility and paid for by public taxation, yet was closed to them. After refusing to leave, they were arrested and charged with disturbing the peace. This group was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson and is honored in this artwork by appearing on the eagle which flies over the chapel. On the back of the cast shadow are photographs depicting the Freedom Riders and protests happening in the city of Jackson which included participation by some TOUGALOO students as well as faculty members." Prof. Katrina Harrington
FUT#4 Testimonies from Gwylene Gallimard on Vimeo.