State of the Field: The Transforming Role of Public Art - Contextualizing History and Redefining Public Space

In 2017 as a response to public outcry regarding the appropriateness of statues honoring

figures with controversial histories, a New York City Mayoral Advisory Commission was

established. The Commission’s role was to advise and make recommendations on the creation

and removal of City Art, Monuments and Markers. A report was issued in 2018 and since then

public activism, protests and scrutiny of our shared public spaces has increased exponentially

within New York City and throughout the country. This talk will examine some successful public

memorialization efforts and how communities are actively challenging the role historic

monuments play in reinforcing often limited and exclusive interpretations of history. People are

demanding that public spaces be redefined and reimagined to reflect expansive and inclusive

narratives that more accurately express shared histories and contributions of diverse

communities and constituencies. Government officials, planners, designers, historians,

educators and CBOs must require interactive planning and design processes that acknowledge

cultural complexity and contextualize history. We intend to present how this understanding can

facilitate meaningful dialogue and allow the successful transformation of public space to take

place.

Rodney Leon, is founder and principal of Rodney Leon Architect PLLC. Mr. Leon has focused

his professional efforts and developed an expertise in Memorialization, Master Planning and

Mixed Use Urban Development. He is the designer of the African Burial Ground Memorial in

New York City which is the first National Monument in the United States dedicated to the

contributions of people of African descent. Mr. Leon is also the winner of the international

competition by the United Nations to design the Permanent Memorial to the Victims of Slavery

and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. His winning entry entitled “The Ark of Return’, was unveiled

at the United Nations Plaza by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on March 25 th , 2015. Mr. Leon

received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute School of Architecture in 1992

and his Masters of Architecture from Yale University in 1995. He has served as Adjunct

professor at Pratt Institute School of Architecture and NYU Schack Institute.