The Inscription Remains
At Valor Memorial Park in Denton, North Carolina, a granite monument erected in 1911 bears the inscription: "Scholar, Patriot, Statesman, Christian." According to records of the private facility, the monument honors a local railroad attorney who served as Confederate attorney general. A second monument, dedicated in 1924 to Confederate soldiers from the area, stands fifty feet away. Both were sponsored by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, according to historical documentation. The monuments have been relocated from public squares to private ground.
When Confederate monuments are removed from public spaces, they are often relocated rather than destroyed. The monuments move to new locations while their inscriptions remain unchanged. Institutions involved in monument relocation include museums, historical societies, and private facilities. The process involves decisions about where monuments are placed and how they are presented to the public.
The Eight-Year Exhibition
In Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art's Geffen Contemporary warehouse in Little Tokyo houses an exhibition titled "MONUMENTS." According to museum documentation, the exhibition was jointly organized by MOCA and a nonprofit called the Brick. The exhibition features 10 Confederate memorial sculptures alongside artistic responses from 20 artists. The curators were Hamza Walker and Hannah Burstein at the Brick, MOCA's Bennett Simpson and Paula Kroll, and artist Kara Walker. The exhibition development took approximately eight years.
During the eight-year development period, several events occurred. According to news reports, a mass shooting took place at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, resulting in nine deaths. In 2017, a gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia resulted in one death. Confederate and Nazi flags appeared during the January 6 attack on Congress. Following George Floyd's death in 2020, according to reports, many Confederate statues were defaced or removed.
The Geffen Contemporary is located next to the Japanese American National Museum's Democracy Center. According to historical records, thousands of U.S. citizens of Asian ancestry were relocated in 1942 during World War II.
The Patriotic Funding Cycle
The United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. According to NEA grant records, Illinois cultural groups received approximately $661,000 in National Endowment for the Arts "America 250" funding, representing about half of the state's total $1.2 million federal arts funding allocation. Federal funding for cultural projects often aligns with national commemorative dates.
According to their dedication dates, the Confederate monuments at Valor Memorial Park were erected decades after the Civil War ended. The United Daughters of the Confederacy sponsored monument dedications during the early 20th century. Contemporary institutions develop exhibitions and programming related to national anniversaries and commemorative dates.
The Artist's Burden
Several artists have created works in response to Confederate monuments and related public memory projects. Hank Willis Thomas created a sculpture featured in the MONUMENTS exhibition. J. Maxwell Miller created "Confederate Women of Maryland." Karon Davis created "Descendant." Thomas J. Price created the Windrush memorial in Hackney, London in 2022. Price has also created figurative bronze sculptures at Rotterdam Centraal train station and other international locations. Other artists working on public sculpture projects include Shahzia Sikander, Hew Locke, Olu Oguibe, and Tschabalala Self.
Contemporary artists receive commissions to create works that address public memory and historical narratives. Institutions commission artwork, exhibit it, and present it to the public. Artists work on projects that respond to existing monuments and memorials.
Painting Over the Mentor
At 2863 North 5th Street in Philadelphia's Fairhill section, a mural titled "Latinoamérica: Una Lengua, Múltiples Culturas" was created in 2005 by José Ali Paz and Henry Bermúdez. The mural depicts Simón Bolívar, Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, and César Chávez. According to reports, artist Michelle Angela Ortiz recommended to Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden that Chávez's portrait be replaced with a painting of Dolores Huerta.
Mural projects created in earlier decades are sometimes modified or updated. Artists may be commissioned to alter or repaint sections of existing murals based on community input or institutional decisions.
The Monument System
Confederate monuments removed from public squares are relocated to private facilities and historical sites where they are preserved. Museums develop exhibitions that feature relocated monuments alongside contemporary artistic responses. Federal funding supports cultural programming related to national commemorative dates. Artists receive commissions to create works responding to historical monuments and public memory projects.
The process of monument relocation, exhibition, and artistic response involves multiple institutions and stakeholders. Decisions about monument placement, preservation, and presentation are made by museums, historical societies, and cultural organizations. Artists contribute to public memory projects through commissioned works. Federal funding supports cultural initiatives aligned with national anniversaries and commemorative dates.
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