The Moving Spirit of Love
Project Proposal Information
"The Moving Spirit of Love" Charlotte Forten Memorial, Charlotte Forten' Park
Why she must stand: we believe "sitting" doesn't capture her powerful spirit, her action for freedom. Charlotte Forten's figure will be depicted as walking forward, presenting her gift that continues to impact us leading us forward. The motion represents the urgency of working for freedom and standing up for equality. Equality symbolized in an open book she holds out, offering us all to read.
In the cloth of her dress, her cape, her shawl, streaming as she walks forth, we see her words, lines of her verse, in the folds of her garments, interwoven in these lines, there are flying doves representing her enduring legacy and gifts of love she gave to children...this is her legacy, children can touch the words, so her spirit, which moves in her words, continues leading us FORWARD, to continue the progress she made. As an immigrant, a minority mother of 5 children, I feel strongly that her movement with words and spirit of love can evoke strong emotion in each of us as a human family, we belong.
Why she must stand: we believe "sitting" doesn't capture her powerful spirit of love for action for change. Charlotte Forten's figure will be depicted as walking forward, presenting her gift that continues to impact us leading us forward. The motion represents the urgency of working for freedom and standing up for equality. Equality symbolized in an open book she holds out, offering us all to read, with Bronze statuary rendering her physical likeness, the expression on her face of emotion, caring, kindness, and service for freedom and equality. But this is not enough to convey the power of her voice. She was a poet capable of great emotional communication with her words. So the second element I created is in the cloth of her dress, her cape, her shawl, streaming as she walks forth, we see her words, lines of her verse, in the folds of her garments, interwoven in these lines, there are flying doves representing her enduring legacy and gifts of love she gave to children...this is her legacy, children can touch the words, so her spirit, which moves in her words, continues leading us FORWARD, to continue the progress she made. A portrait of who she was, what she did, and the beautiful voice of her words....still stirring in the air to this day, to inspire all to stand up and follow her footsteps for equality.
Concept: 7 Birds of knowledge, freedom community, inclusion, equality, hope, peace represent her values. Timeless symbol of Interconnectedness. We will incorporate your inputs such as letters and quotes etc.
Likeness Assured
Bronze statuary rendering her physical likeness, the expression on her face of emotion, caring, kindness, courage and service for freedom and equality.
Materials List: Bronze on pat. best suit materials for the unique location.
Structural Design /engineering consultant TT, TT’ profile includes Martin Luther King Memorial in DC.
Zero maintenance needed. Everlasting. Museum quality bronze.
We are flexible to work with. We welcome input from you and your community. Please trust us to create with you to honor her enduring legacy with her own words and her moving spirit of love.
Artist Bio
Ai Qiu Chen Hopen growing up in poverty in rural China. She was creating mud figures for the villages her family would travel to as migrant beekeepers following blossoming flowers. After studying Modern Art Design and Art Education in Shanghai at East China Normal University, Ai Qui formed the Humanity Memorial Team, which has received national attention with notable installations, including figurative statues of prominent African American journalist Ida B. Wells in Washington D.C. and with Hopen Studio She created Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Mathaai in Atchison, KS. Ai Qiu’ notable commissions also includes WV State Capital project "Marching for Liberty”, woman suffrage memorial; Birmingham Alabama national Monument to 1963 foot soldiers “Gate of Freedom” for Kelly Ingram Park, designated as National Monument by President Obama; and commissioned by New York State park and Recreation for project honoring diversity for Buffalo State Harbor Park.
As a minority woman, immigrant, and mother passionate about serving humanity for all children, Ai Qui leads a team from diverse cultural backgrounds that values inclusive design that infuses its art with universal love and hope, grounded in an ethos for peace and equality, beyond gender, race, age, culture, or generation.
She is inspired to create for the future with Charlotte Forten Grimké's vision, light and hope:
“’The long, dark night of the Past, with all its sorrows and its fears, was forgotten; and for the Future—the eyes of these freed children see no clouds in it. It is full of sunlight, they think, and they trust in it, perfectly.’