The Alachua County Arts Council (“the Committee”) invites artists or artist teams to respond to this Call to Artists for a Sankofa sculpture in honor of the late Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn for the West Lawn of the County Administration Building.

The art site will be on the SE corner of University Avenue and Main Street on the West Lawn of the County Administration Building, located at 12 SE 1 St., Gainesville, FL 32601.

The site formerly displayed a Confederate Soldier Sculpture for more than 100 years. The placement of the sculpture became a divisive issue in the community. The Board of County Commissioners voted to return the sculpture to the Daughters of the Confederacy, who originally donated the sculpture to the County in 1904. The Confederate Soldier Sculpture was peacefully relocated in 2017.

Three prior Calls to Artists have been advertised for this site, with the County Commission rejecting all prior submittals.  Previous Calls were broad; whereas this Call is very specific – a Sankofa made of a durable outdoor, vandal-resistant, material, with a protective railing (or other solution) that provides biographical information and an image of Dr. Hillard-Nunn and an explanation of the meaning of Sankofa. A private donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) has pledged $25,000 for the project, bringing the total available budget to $73,950.

Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn was an adjunct associate professor for the University of Florida, African American Studies Program. She studied Media and Culture, Audience Analysis, Enslaved Africans in Alachua County, and African American History in Alachua County. Her creative practices included Media Production, West African Dance & Mixed Media Art. Before teaching in African America Studies, she taught Black Women and Film in the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research at the University of Florida and served various populations while working as a Community Organizer in Alachua County. More info here.

Source: berea.edu

A Sankofa refers to the Bono Adinkra symbol represented by a bird with its head turned backward while its feet face forward carrying a precious egg in its mouth. The Sankofa bird appears frequently in traditional Akan art representing the need to reflect on the past to build a successful future. “Sankofa” literally means, “to go back and get it.” The egg represents the “gems” or knowledge of the past upon which wisdom is based; it also signifies the generation to come that would benefit from that wisdom. There are several overlapping interpretations: Taking from the past what is good and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress through the benevolent use of knowledge. Going back and reclaiming our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today. More info here.

Budget

The budget for this project is $73,950, which includes, but is not limited to, artists fees, other consultants’ and subcontractors’ fees, insurance conforming to Alachua County Board of County Commissioners standards, engineering, materials fabrication, transportation, installation (including any site modification), a protective railing (or other solution) that provides biographical information and an image of Dr. Hillard-Nunn and an explanation of the meaning of Sankofa, and post-installation documentation.  For more information, please see the attachment.