Browse Exhibits (12 total)

"Chivalric Patriotism": U.S. Nationalism, Military Service, and White Manhood in the Statue of General Ambrose E. Burnside (1887) in Providence, Rhode Island

Throughout history, equestrian monuments have paid tribute to prominent military leaders. In ancient Rome, for instance, equestrian monuments played the role of “honoring the emperor for singular military and civic achievements,”[1] framing the equestrian monument as a tool that lifts the subject above their contemporaries and captures a particular moment of power and control. Equestrian monuments became particularly popular after the United States Civil War, when both the Union and the Confederacy erected equestrian statues to commemorate prominent military leaders. The Statue of General Ambrose E. Burnside, located in Burnside Park, Providence, Rhode Island, serves as another example of this movement of equestrian monuments. The monument was built by Irish sculptor Launt Thompson and dedicated on July 4th, 1887.[2] The immensely grandiose dedication and the extensive celebrations that surrounded it suggest that the General Committee and the subsequent Building Committee that was established intended for it to have a very nuanced function. Based on the dedication of the monument and the articles published in The Providence Journal, the Statue of General Ambrose E. Burnside was intended to establish a flawless, glorified version of Burnside’s life in history, to promote a heroic, unwavering image of selfless patriotism for Rhode Island and the United States, to glorify military service, and to promote a noble ideal of white manhood.

bronze, burnside park, civil war, equestrian monument, launt thompson, manhood, providence, rhode island, soldier, war memorial

Enactments of Private Love in Public Space

This exhibit offers a commentary on some of the questions of power, privacy, and female representation that arise from the Carrie Brown Bajnotti Memorial Fountain.

Commissioned in 1899, erected in 1901, and unveiled in 1902, the Carrie Brown Bajnotti Memorial Fountain was given to the city of Providence by Count Paul Bajnotti in memory of his late wife. Caroline Mathilde Brown Bajnotti was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the granddaughter of Brown University’s namesake benefactor, Nicholas Brown II. She married Count Paul Bajnotti, a Foreign Affairs officer from Turin, Italy, in 1876, and the couple spent the majority of their married life in Italy until Carrie Brown Bajnotti’s death in 1896. To memorialize his wife’s death, Count Bajnotti commissioned three monuments in Providence: Carrie Brown Bajnotti Fountain (Burnside Park), Carrie Tower (Brown University), and the Pancratiast Statue (Roger Williams Park).

allegorical figure, bronze, burnside park, carrie bajnotti, carrie brown, city beautiful, enid yandell, fountain, providence, public grief, rhode island

How the "Fox Point Veterans Memorial" Diminishes the Contribution of Female Military Personnel

This memorial recognizes the sacrifice made by the men and women of Providence who fought in World War II. The involvement of the United States in the war was marked by the need to intervene to preserve democracy. As I mentioned, this memorial has the power to shift the dominant perception of World War II. Unfortunately, the The Fox Point Veterans Memorial fails to adequately provide information about Providence veterans' involvement and ultimately serves to acknowledge the sacrifice of male veterans while portraying the contribution of female military personnel as negligible.

aristide berto cianfarani, bas relief, bronze, female military, figurative statue, fox point, granite, providence, rhode island, veterans, war memorial, world war ii

Irish Political Power in Cathedral Square

Providence saw a significant influx of Irish immigration throughout the nineteenth century. Initially, the Irish were persecuted for their Catholic faith. They built community and political power around their churches. This exhibit traces the history of Irish political power: from early immigration to political dominance through the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in what is now downtown Providence.

bronze, cathedral square, figurative statue, henry hudson kitson, irish, mayor doyle, providence, rhode island

Korean War Memorial: The Face of Struggle and a Space for Grieving

The Korean War Veterans Memorial adds a more somber and mournful tone to Memorial Park. It is unique from the other monuments in the park, and most war monuments in general. It does not simply laud soldiers’ service and America’s role in the war. The monument also emphasizes the soldiers’ suffering in the Korean War, showing a disheartened man facing miserable weather conditions. The soldier is nondescript - he is meant to be representative of all the soldiers in the war. As such he evokes the adversity that every Korean War soldier experienced. Soldiers in the Korean war had to face particularly harsh weather as depicted in the monument. Senator John H. Chafee, who commanded a rifle company in the Korean War, spoke to these difficult conditions in a speech given at the dedication of a monument at Brown University. He said that American soldiers were not just fighting against North Koreans and the Chinese army, they were also fighting against the weather and the terrain. Senator Chafee told listeners that “the rugged hills and mountains, the scorching hot summers, and subzero winters were challenges that no Marine or soldier who fought there will ever forget. It was aptly called ‘the coldest war.’”[1] The senator praised the soldiers resilience in these conditions, and opined that their endurance was the reason America was able to drive the North Koreans out of South Korea. The soldiers’ courage in the face of great struggle is strongly conveyed by the monument itself.

bronze, casualty lists, figurative statue, korean war, memorial park, providence, public grief, rhode island, robert shure, soldier, veterans, war dead, war memorial

Nation as Sovereign and Power: White Surveillance through Monumental Sculpture and Capital Punishment

In his essay “Panopticism” in Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Michel Foucault introduced the term "panopticon." He defined it as "enclosed space" in which every participant is "located" and constantly supervised. [1] This location of the subject is done through architecture, enforcing feelings of being watched and thus judged. I believe that the Federal Building at Kennedy Plaza and its accompanying monuments act as methods of surveillance, restricting who is allowed to belong at this site.

One of two monuments flanking the Federal Building, Nation as Sovereign and Power exemplifies the use of sculpture and iconography to demonstrate institutional power. Employing Roman symbols of the justice system and capital punishment, the monument impresses on the traveller that they are being scrutinized for any wrong doing. When one considers the proximity of the monument to surveillance cameras and armed marshals, it becomes clear that this is not a monument for citizens, but rather a tool of control for their government.

allegorical figure, beaux-arts movement, federal building, figurative statue, james massey rhind, justice, law and order, limestone, providence, rhode island, surveillance

Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial

The memorial's purpose is to pay tribute to the one and half million Irish people who left Ireland during the Great Famine and to recognize the Famine survivors. The memorial represents the stories of the Irish people during and after the Famine, honors those who made financial contributions to the memorial, and educates viewers about the Famine and its long-lasting effects.

bas relief, bronze, famine, figurative statue, granite, irish, providence, rhode island, robert shure

Soldiers, Sailors, and Slavery, Oh My: The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and Chains of the American Past

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was designed to be a site of both honor and grief. Celebrating all men of Rhode Island who served and died, this monument would become notable for the inclusion of Black history through memorializing fallen colored soldiers in bronze both by name and figurative statue. While contributing to the space created for Black figures in the monumentscape, there are possible complications with how these men were represented and consequently consumed, obstructing the progress of Black individuals and freedom.

allegorical figure, bronze, causality lists, civil war, granite, kennedy plaza, manhood, providence, randolph rogers, rhode island, soldier, united states colored troops, war dead, war memorial

The Hiker Monument: White Manliness, US Imperialism, and Colonial Erasure

Kitson condensed the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and China Relief Expedition by following the popular tradition of centering the white male American soldier as a representation of the whole US military. As it promotes notions of Western imperialism and white manliness, the Hiker does not represent non-white Americans that fought in these altercations. From this monument we cannot know a version of history that isn’t white and male-centered; in other words, we cannot know a version of history that is authentic.

As I proceed to discuss the Hiker in its many historical, racial, and gendered implications, I will describe its positioning within the space of Kennedy Plaza and subsequently focus on its representation of white manliness, US Imperialism, and the erasure of colonial violence.

bronze, figurative statue, kennedy plaza, manhood, providence, rhode island, soldier, spanish american war, theodora alice ruggles kitson, veterans, war memorial

The Intent to Glorify: Roger Williams Statue in Prospect Terrace

When critically encountering the Roger Williams statue in Prospect Terrace, I discern that the primary intent of its creation and installment was to glorify and heroize Williams. This observation unlocked a series of interrelated questions: What narrative does this monument construct and reproduce about Williams? How does it use the physical design and location to convey that desired message? What are the implications of the incomplete narrative and silencing at this site? I propose that the monument’s messaging focuses on Williams as the heroic founder of Providence; the physical monument space silences indigenous communities and idealizes Williams.

figurative statue, leo friedlander, limestone, prospect terrace, providence, rhode island

Featured Exhibit

The Hiker Monument: White Manliness, US Imperialism, and Colonial Erasure

Kitson condensed the Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and China Relief Expedition by following the popular tradition of centering the white...