EnslavedAfricansRaingarden

An urban-heritage public-art project, which features five life-sized bronze #sculpture to acknowledge the contributions of enslaved #Africans in America #artist

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

SOUND EFFECTS: Drummer Leonard Epps creating the background sound effects for the film about Themba the Boatman. 🖤 #raingarden #enslavedafricans #slavery #slavememorial #newyork #publicart #publicartist #bronze #bronzesculpture #westchester #westchestercounty #yonkerslibrary

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

IF WE CHASE PERFECTION, we can catch excellence. <3 #enslavedafricansraingarden #earg #vinniebagwell #sculptor #sculpture #art #artist #sculptureart #sculptureartist #fineart #selftaughtartist #selftaught #african #africa #blackart #panafrican #yonkers #yonkerswaterfront

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

A work in progress #enslavedafricans #slavery #slavememorial #newyork #publicart #publicartist #bronze #bronzesculpture #westchester #westchestercounty #yonkerslibrary

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

THE BEARD: Just the tip of the iceberg! #enslavedafricansraingarden #earg #vinniebagwell #sculptor #sculpture #art #artist #sculptureart #sculptureartist #fineart #selftaughtartist #selftaught #african #africa #blackart #panafrican #yonkers #yonkerswaterfront #raingarden

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

THE PRICE of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. 🖤

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

Today, Mia visited my studio to help me "see" The Boatman better. Gracie! 🖤

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

"I JUST WANTED TO SAY, 'BRAVO!'", said Mia Shine Castro, when I asked her how she had come to be interning in the States for my dear friend, stone-carver Barbara Segal ( @barbarasegal ) (Mia, originally from Bolivia, lives in Italy.) They "met" on Instagram!

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

#FLashbackFriday the wax of Themba the Boatman before being cast in bronze. I love wax because I am able to refine features easily.
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Photographer: Jonathan Lewis

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

MORE SO... Here comes the face! 🖤

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

WOKE: Sometimes, artworks have a Spirit in them who have ideas of their own. Themba the Boatman wants to "see" because "every shut eye ain't sleep!”

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

Perfection will come.
Meanwhile, I had to erase the face to correct the position of the head. (This is why it's important to measure your work for symmetry!) Let's see what visage comes through now. Feeling more accomplished. 🖤

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

ERASE, NEW FACE: I have an astigmatism, so I see on an angle. As a result, the maquette for Themba the Boatman was lopsided. The issues became more apparent in the enlargement. I've managed to correct the body posture, significantly, so that he looks more natural...

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

TRICORNE: The armature for Themba's hat.

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

FAITH IS THE BACKBONE of what the Enslaved Africans' Rain Garden Project is about. This is the armature–kinda like a skeleton–for the enlargement of "Themba the Boatman.”

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

(3)GOING, GOING... 45 Minutes to prepare for the move, get her safely out of the studio, down the stairs, and to the lobby! (4)GONE! I'm going to miss her!

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

(1) READY: Preparing to move I'Satta out of the studio is an arduous and time-consuming part of the process. (2)SET: Safety first. After all that work, we don't to damage the sculpture. Professional movers know what to do, they have the strength, and they're worth every penny.

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

TALKING THE TALK: Explaining my vision for I'Satta and the Enslaved Africans' Rain Garden to Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and other officials at the preview of the enlargement before it goes to the foundry for molding.

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

WORK TO DO: Prof. Mary Dillard's class from Sarah Lawrence College visited for an in-studio workshop.

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

A KODAK MOMENT: Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano (@MayorMikeSpano) and Vinnie Bagwell (@vinniebagwell)

[EnslavedAfricansRaingarden @TheRaingarden]

A GODMOTHER: Hon. Patricia McDow, former City-Counsel majority leader, brought the story of the enslaved Africans at Phillips’s Manor Hall to my attention in 2009, which sparked the idea of creating a public-art initiative to honor enslaved Africans 🖤