On the Banks of Freedom (Louisville, Kentucky)
Dublin Core
Title
On the Banks of Freedom (Louisville, Kentucky)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Enslaved persons
Freedom
Kentucky--Louisville
Slavery--Kentucky
Subject (Object)
Commemorative sculpture
Enslaved persons
Freedom
Kentucky--Louisville
Slavery--Kentucky
Subject (Object)
Commemorative sculpture
Description
By the Ohio River bordering Kentucky and Indiana, The (Un)known Project installed On the Banks of Freedom, a two-bench monument fixed into a concrete platform. Facing the river, each bench features a polished, reflective black granite backrest with a white limestone seat. The black granite surfaces are etched with the names of enslaved Kentuckians along with portraits representing an enslaved man and woman. Quotes on the back of the benches are from Jefferson County Public School Justice Now participants. The base of each bench is encircled with chains and a broken shackle that symbolizes freedom. Sandblasted on the concrete platform is a poem titled “Finding Me” by spoken-word poet Hannah L. Drake as well as six sets of footprints, representing enslaved families.
Creator
Duff, William M., 1953- (lead artist)
Caudill, Dave, 1950- (collaborating artist)
Caudill, Dave, 1950- (collaborating artist)
Source
Photographs: Josh Miller, (Un)Known Project
Date
June 19, 2021
Contributor
City of Louisville; Hannah L. Drake and Josh Miller of IDEAS xLab
Rights
Office of Arts and Creative Industries, Louisville Metro Government, 444 South 5th Street, Louisville, Kentucky, 40202, United States
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
Louisville Riverwalk, North 9th and 10th Streets, Louisville, Kentucky, 40202, United States
Has Part
Inscription on front of bench (1):
On the Banks of Freedom “We are descendants of Kings and Queens who were enslaved in America.” Lamont Collins, Founder of Roots 101 African American Museum
[Engraved image of an enslaved woman]
Unknown
Names of Enslaved Kentuckians
Frank, Eliza Julia, Unknown, Hannah, Henry, Elizabeth, James, Joe Unknown, John Sallie, Bert, Margaret, Lucinda, Simon, Unknown, Wallace, Rose, Charlie, Becky, Betsy, Unknown, Marry, Dick, Casar, Unknown, Aynefs, Maria, Will, Fletcher, Pompy, Unknown, Jesse, Louis, Sam, Cora, Harriet, Milton, Unknown, Annie, Mandy, George, Scott
Inscription on front of bench (2):
Names of Enslaved Kentuckians
Aggie, Dan, Maria, Sam, Unknown, Eli, Pompy, Evanline, Barney, Unknown, Nellie, Winney, Rachel, Mary Ellen, Unknown, Bobbet, James, Louisa, Edward, Unknown, Joseph, Rosetta, Abraham, Unknown, Alfred, Charlotte, Mack, Wilson, Phebe, Unknown, Catherine, Unknown, Caroline, Edwin, Dennah, Unknown, Laura Ann, William, Patsy, Unknown, Kate, Arnold
[Engraved image of an enslaved man]
Unknown
On the Banks of Freedom
“Countless stories of enslaved people have not been told. Say their names and listen to what you hear. It is time for their legacies to appear.” Sage Snyder, JCPS Justice Now Student
Sandblasted poem on the concrete platform:
Finding Me
By Hannah L. Drake
If I close my eyes, I can see them.
And if I quiet myself, I can hear them.
Their voices carry on the wind like the tune from chimes floating in the distant breeze.
Who are you?
Where did you come from?
When you dreamed, what did you dream of?
What is your story?
What was your name before they gave you that name?
Was the name passed down through our family?
Am I your descendant?
I stare at my face and wonder if I look like you.
I try to put faces to shadows.
Can I find pieces of your memory in cotton fields and red mud?
Scattered bones in unmarked graves that attempt to erase you from history
But you were here.
You were always here.
You existed.
Unknown no longer.
I found your name…I found you
And in finding you, I found me.
On the Banks of Freedom “We are descendants of Kings and Queens who were enslaved in America.” Lamont Collins, Founder of Roots 101 African American Museum
[Engraved image of an enslaved woman]
Unknown
Names of Enslaved Kentuckians
Frank, Eliza Julia, Unknown, Hannah, Henry, Elizabeth, James, Joe Unknown, John Sallie, Bert, Margaret, Lucinda, Simon, Unknown, Wallace, Rose, Charlie, Becky, Betsy, Unknown, Marry, Dick, Casar, Unknown, Aynefs, Maria, Will, Fletcher, Pompy, Unknown, Jesse, Louis, Sam, Cora, Harriet, Milton, Unknown, Annie, Mandy, George, Scott
Inscription on front of bench (2):
Names of Enslaved Kentuckians
Aggie, Dan, Maria, Sam, Unknown, Eli, Pompy, Evanline, Barney, Unknown, Nellie, Winney, Rachel, Mary Ellen, Unknown, Bobbet, James, Louisa, Edward, Unknown, Joseph, Rosetta, Abraham, Unknown, Alfred, Charlotte, Mack, Wilson, Phebe, Unknown, Catherine, Unknown, Caroline, Edwin, Dennah, Unknown, Laura Ann, William, Patsy, Unknown, Kate, Arnold
[Engraved image of an enslaved man]
Unknown
On the Banks of Freedom
“Countless stories of enslaved people have not been told. Say their names and listen to what you hear. It is time for their legacies to appear.” Sage Snyder, JCPS Justice Now Student
Sandblasted poem on the concrete platform:
Finding Me
By Hannah L. Drake
If I close my eyes, I can see them.
And if I quiet myself, I can hear them.
Their voices carry on the wind like the tune from chimes floating in the distant breeze.
Who are you?
Where did you come from?
When you dreamed, what did you dream of?
What is your story?
What was your name before they gave you that name?
Was the name passed down through our family?
Am I your descendant?
I stare at my face and wonder if I look like you.
I try to put faces to shadows.
Can I find pieces of your memory in cotton fields and red mud?
Scattered bones in unmarked graves that attempt to erase you from history
But you were here.
You were always here.
You existed.
Unknown no longer.
I found your name…I found you
And in finding you, I found me.
Medium
Black granite; Limestone; Concrete
Bibliographic Citation
“On The Banks of Freedom Public Art Installation | (Un)Known Project Trail,” Accessed November 3, 2024. https://unknownprojecttrail.com/projects/on-the-banks-of-freedom/.
Wolf, Stephanie. “(Un)Known Project’s Memorial Honors Nearly-Forgotten Black People.” Louisville Public Media, June 19, 2021. https://www.lpm.org/news/2021-06-19/unknown-projects-memorial-honors-nearly-forgotten-black-people.
Jones, Maggie. “On a Kentucky Riverbank, a Path to Remembrance.” New York Times, June 9, 2021. Accessed November 3, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/arts/design/hannah-drake-unknown-project.html?auth=register-email%5C®ister=email.
Wolf, Stephanie. “(Un)Known Project’s Memorial Honors Nearly-Forgotten Black People.” Louisville Public Media, June 19, 2021. https://www.lpm.org/news/2021-06-19/unknown-projects-memorial-honors-nearly-forgotten-black-people.
Jones, Maggie. “On a Kentucky Riverbank, a Path to Remembrance.” New York Times, June 9, 2021. Accessed November 3, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/arts/design/hannah-drake-unknown-project.html?auth=register-email%5C®ister=email.
Rights Holder
Renée Ater
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Sculpture
Citation
Duff, William M., 1953- (lead artist)Caudill, Dave, 1950- (collaborating artist), “On the Banks of Freedom (Louisville, Kentucky),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 1, 2026, https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1270.