Since 2015, amid ongoing reckonings with systemic racism, the United States has removed more than 150 of its civic sculptures, many of which presented Confederate leaders in the style of bronze superheroes. Meanwhile, Canada has toppled 13 of its own statues, including six tributes to Sir John A. Macdonald, who oversaw the creation of the country’s residential schools. Some argue that stripping away these signs of painful history ignores the opportunity to use them as prompts for reflection. But for a likeness to hold educational merit, it needs to be designed or displayed in a way that considers an individual’s true legacy.
This goal is precisely what “Monuments” — an exhibition on view until May 3 at the Los Angeles Museum of...
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Cancelled Monuments Move Into an L.A. Museum Exhibition
Statues removed from city life find a new home — and new meaning — in a pair of galleries.