Search results | Digital Grinnell

Title: Pagoda statue outside a Chinese temple
Description: Photograph of a tall, pagoda-shaped structure in front of a larger temple.
Date Created: 1924
PID: grinnell:17400

Title: Portrait
Description: This piece aims to honor the service of black and Haitian military men. When considering the Haitian Revolution we often tell the stories of men such as Toussaint L'Ouverture, one of too few symbols of black military power. This block places a black military leader at the center of attention, and also aims to connect his story with slavery in Haiti, America, and beyond. In this block, the image of the Haitian militia man appears beside an illustration of a cotton plant. Although slavery in Haiti was fueled by sugarcane, not cotton, an image of a cotton plant is placed here to remind the viewer that slavery is and shall remain a hallmark of American history, and issues of injustice in the military still occur today. When we consider the history of the transatlantic slave trade, we do not often think of its impact on how black people are treated in the military. Erased from history and celebration, black bodies were catalogued as equipment much like weapons and protective wear. While great progress has been made since the abolition of slavery and the integration of the military, we still have a long way to go in our quest for equal treatment of people of color as well as gay and transgender people in the military.
Date Created: 2017
PID: grinnell:25490

Title: Small religious structure in China
Description: Photograph of a roadside wooden structure, elaborately carved with a stone tablet in the middle under a roof.
Date Created: 1924
PID: grinnell:17410

Title: Small shrines in China
Description: Photograph of ten small stone shrines at the base of a mountain.
Date Created: 1924
PID: grinnell:17409

Title: Stone outcrop in China
Description: Photograph of a rock outcropping in the middle of a forested mountain range in China.
Date Created: 1924
PID: grinnell:17408

Title: Temple in China
Description: Photograph of a temple with a tall stone shrine in front of it.
Date Created: 1924
PID: grinnell:17411

Title: The Father of Grinnell
Description: Grinnell’s history in relation to slavery often points to the man pictured in this block. J.B. Grinnell was a known advocate of abolition, and founded the very town of Grinnell on anti-slavery principles. He worked with the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to Canada and served in Iowa’s Congress, even though his views on abolition made him quite unpopular amongst many Midwesterners. In the process of researching the life of J.B. Grinnell, the creator of this block was directed to a letter written by L.F. Parker describing an “incipient mob” driving five fugitive slaves out of the town of Grinnell. This letter encourages us to unpack the many layers of white abolitionist intention, and make distinctions between theory and action. While J.B. Grinnell had clearly intended for his town to be a space to live the tenets of the abolitionist movement, in practice this was not always the case. By showcasing this story, the artist urges viewers to contemplate the many phases and evolutions of freedom and abolition, knowing that good intention has yet to be enough.
Date Created: 2017
PID: grinnell:25487