A new public monument honoring generations of Black artists will be dedicated in downtown New Bern next week.
Tryon Palace will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the metal sculpture, titled "The Art of Crafting Lives," on Thursday, September 24th, at 10 a.m. The installation is located at Wilson Park, on the corner of South Front and Craven streets.
The public art piece recognizes the work, lives, and legacies of free and enslaved African American artists who engineered much of the city's historic 18th and 19th-century architecture. Mediums represented include brickmasonry, tailoring, coopering, and rope making. Interactive QR codes on the sculpture will allow visitors to take a virtual tour and explore the history of the individuals commemorated.
A lunch reception will follow at Mattocks Hall inside the North Carolina History Center.
