The Fourth of July is not only America’s birthday but a celebration of what the formation of the country represented – both independence from British rule and freedom in a broader sense. The Founding Fathers declared the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Today, we are still striving for those ideals, whether in small moments of peace or big moments of change.
As we think about the meaning of Independence Day, we turned to artists for their interpretations. Here are five works on display in Maine, selected by their respective museums as representations of freedom. Arnold J.
Kemp (b. 1968). “Stage,” 2023.
Maple plywood. Courtesy of the artist and Martos Gallery, New York. Photo courtesy of Dave Clough “Stage,” by Arnold J.
Kemp “I would survive. I could survive. I should survive.
” That phrase is writ large, the letters cut in wood and collapsed on top of each other. The sculpture makes Ashley Page feel somber. “It forces you to think about the reason why somebody had to make a work like that,” she said.
“This is a very simple phrase. ‘I would survive. I could survive.
I should survive.’ But it’s still a question; it’s still something that isn’t permanent or guaranteed. It feels very somber to me in that we’re all still fighting this fight.
As an African American, as a Black person, we still have to enforce our value in this society.” “Stage” is part of “To Whom Keeps a Record,” a solo exhibition for Arnold J. Kemp a.
