Defending and De-Fencing: Approaches for Understanding the Social Functions of Public Monuments and Memorials

Defending and De-fencing: Approaches for Understanding the Social Functions of Public Monuments and MemorialsMelanie: I was surprised and excited to see that someone spray-painted "no hero" on the base of the Lee Monument. Knowing that it was not likely to last long, I raced home to grab my camera so I could record the graffiti intervention (See Figure 1).On the same day, a local yarn bombing artist installed a piece along the same street that altered a cannon (See Figure 2).These interventions on works of art functioned to subvert the monuments' sacrosanct commemoration of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee and the firepower of the Confederacy. By employing contemporary art practices including juxtaposition and recontextualization (Gude, 2004), these artistic interventions provided a contrast to the commemorative artworks' original positions and functions.IntroductionIn this article, we analyze similarities and differences of how monuments and memorials reflect and shape attitudes toward history and commemoration. We consider ways that monuments and memorials affect people and explore the stated and unstated social purposes of monuments. We are especially interested in instances in which monuments and memorials function socially to maintain or remove barriers.Through analyzing public artworks loosely described as monuments and memorials, we develop a conceptual framework for potential ways to understand them. We examine the social function of monuments through studying historical monuments in Richmond, Virginia, temporary alterations to these monuments, and a contemporary memorial in Budapest, Hungary.Monuments and MemorialsMany times the words monument and memorial are used interchangeably. But to some these words connote different shades of meaning, with monument connoting celebration and triumph versus memorial connoting solemn remembrance and tragedy (Young, 1993). We use the word monument1 to describe a significant permanent public sculpture created to commemorate and glorify an event, a person, or even a concept. We use the word memorial in reference to public art objects that are not so much intended to glorify as to cause us to remember or recall something, often related to the loss of life.2 In making this distinction, we looked to Arthur Danto's (1985) writing on the topic: "Monuments make heroes and triumphs, victories and conquests, perpetually present and part of life. The memorial is a special precinct, extruded from life, a segregated enclave where we honor the dead. With monuments, we honor ourselves" (p. 152). Though not all scholars agree, Danto says that the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial functions as a memorial through its explicit remembrance of the dead.3 Conversely, we view Mount Rushmore as a monument, a monumentally scaled tribute to the legacies of four American presidents. A work like Claus Oldenburg's Clothespin sculpture in Philadelphia is a large public sculpture, but neither a monument nor memorial because it does not commemorate a significant event or person.Another scholar, James E. Young (1993), disagrees with Danto's distinction. He notes that "A statue can be a monument to heroism and a memorial to tragic loss, an obelisk can memorialize a nation's birth and monumentalize leaders fallen before their prime" (p. 3). In other words, Young believes that many physical sculptures and objects of remembrance perform both functions as outlined by Danto. Therefore, Young chooses not to separate a memorial from a monument, but rather to think of a monument as a subset of the category of memorials where monument refers to the specific physical object, such as a statue, and memorial is an umbrella category including a site, a day, or an activity among others (Young).Sanctioned monuments built by municipalities or civic groups, unlike other public sculptures, ask the audience to remember something deemed significant from the past, are often meant to be permanent, and are frequently designed to appeal to a wide audience. …