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http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/arts/story/213404.html

The Unsung Founders Memorial

The Unsung Founders Memorial located on the lawn of McCorkle Place in front of the Alumni building was created by Korean artist Do-Ho Suh. The memorial depicts 300 black figures holding up a polished table and honors the African-Americans—enslaved and free—who built the campus. The statue is stirring up a controversy because of some criticism that the statue is small (the figures are 2-foot), especially in comparison to the 20-foot tall Civil War solider monument of “Silent Sam,” (aka the Confederate Monument) which stands less than a hundred yards away. Also, the fact that the 2-foot African-Americans are holding a table is the source of much debate. Artist Suh’s specialization in miniatures and the fact that he(?) is Korean and not African is also being criticized by some, such as local poet C.J. Suitt.

I personally feel that starting to criticize the artist and the selection process is getting slightly oversensitive about the topic, especially when considering a black and a Latino artist were also considered in the selection process. However, in the N&O article, UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South said that “Unsung Founders was meant to counter criticism of the Confederate Monument, ‘perhaps the most controversial memorial on campus.’” If that was truly the intentions behind this memorial, than I can see why people are upset about the Unsung Memorial. How is the memorial supposed to counter another monument with such a difference in size? That doesn’t sound right to me. The arguments in favor of keeping the Confederate Monument say that the statue is a part UNC’s history and reality of that time period. If that is history and it is to be preserved, I think there is and we should utilize much more control over what has been created recently, such as the Unsung Memorial, and what is to be created in the future. If we know the Confederate Monument is big, shouldn’t we have created the “countering” memorial just as big?

However, as a design and visuals student, I do have to point out that bigger doesn’t always mean better. The size of the memorials may be important to some people, but as works of art, I think the Unsung Memorial has deeper meaning and thought behind its creation than the Confederate Monument. The Unsung Memorials has symbolism and depth to its meaning, while the Confederate Monument is a literal statue that is very shallow in depth.