City of Salem Announces Charlotte Forten Memorial Project Artist Award and Invites Community to Give Input on Final Designs

On behalf of the City of Salem’s Public Art Commission and the Charlotte Forten Memorial Project Advisory Group, Mayor Dominick Pangallo is pleased to announce Humanity Memorial Inc., and lead artist Ai Qiu Hopen, as the awardee of the $120,000 public art commission grant to create a life-size bronze sculpture in the likeness Charlotte Forten Grimké.

Guided by community input gathered at every phase of the process over the last five years, from naming the park to what shape the memorial should take, the winning design will be commissioned as a memorial to celebrate and elevate Charlotte Forten Grimké’s life and legacy, as well as her time spent in Salem. The finished work will be installed in Charlotte Forten Park in downtown Salem at 289 Derby Street before the end of 2024.

As an Asian woman of Chinese descent, an immigrant, and a mother passionate about serving humanity for all children, Ai Qiu 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” – Charlotte Forten Grimke.

Ai Qiu will be coming to Salem for a surprise visit with her team THIS WEEK!  She will be setting up shop at various locations throughout the City to seek community feedback on final sculpture elements of the project such as which of Charlotte writing to include, where they should adorn the statue, as well as Charlotte’s exact facial features, expression, and likeness to ensure a true and accurate representation.

Join us at any or all of the upcoming pop-up events and let your voice be heard! All are welcome.

Thursday, Feb. 1

9:00am - 11:00am – Community Engagement at Salem Community Life Center, 401 Bridge St.

Friday, Feb. 2

11:30am - 1:30pm – Community Engagement at Peabody Essex Museum Atrium, 161 Essex St.

Saturday, Feb. 3*

2:30pm Community Engagement & Artist Talk at Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square
* This event is part of the Human Rights Coalition’s Black History Month Community Celebration & Flag Raising

About Humanity Memorial & Lead Arist Ai Qiu Hopen

Ai Qiu Chen Hopen grew up in poverty in rural China. As a child she created 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 Qiu 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’s other notable commissions include WV State Capital project "Marching for Liberty” a woman suffrage memorial; and Birmingham Alabama’s “Gate of Freedom” in Kelly Ingram Park to honor 1963 foot soldiers, designated as National Monument by President Obama. Learn more about their work here: www.aiqiuhopen.com

An image of Hopen working on Ida B. Wells monument attached.

Project Background:
Awarded artist was selected through a multi-round competitive process, where ultimately four talented artists were invited as semi-finalists to create original design proposals for the commission. Community members were invited to vote and comment on the semi-finalists’ proposals to guide selection decisions. Submission at all stages were reviewed by representatives from the project’s Advisory Group and Selection Committee, which is comprised of representation from artists, nonprofits, city departments, and Salem State University.

This project emerged after the site was redeveloped in 2017 and dedicated as Charlotte Forten Park in 2019. After years of engagement efforts around the park and proposals for a permanent memorial, a project advisory formed in fall of 2022 to assist with drafting the Call for Artists, which was released in June 2023, and 18 artists and artists teams responded to the Call for Artists. The Call for Artists was distributed locally and nationally, with intentional targeted outreach to artists identifying as female and artists of color.

Artists/artist teams were evaluated based on criteria that included reflections of their prior work, experience with commemorative artwork, and most critically their alignment with the project’s values, which were developed from broad reaching community input and articulated by the Charlotte Forten Project Advisors.

Semi-finalist artist presentations and Q&A recording is available here: https://vimeo.com/869281291

To learn more about Charlotte Forten, this exciting initiative, and the awarded project, please visit our project website:
https://www.salemma.gov/public-art-commission/pages/charlotte-forten-memorial-project-0

This project is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and the City of Salem.

About the Salem Public Art Commission

The Salem Public Art Commission (PAC) is committed to enriching and enlivening the urban environment through showcasing and commissioning innovative and transformative works of art in all media and modalities. With a focus on local artists, especially those historically underrepresented, and a global perspective of the art scene, PAC seeks to foster greater community awareness of and interaction with the arts, enhance the scope of Salem’s public art collection, and celebrate diversity in all its forms. The PAC feels Public Art in Salem should contribute to the community’s identity as the cultural hub of the North Shore and a center for creativity; foster community pride, ownership, and a sense of belonging; and enhance the quality of Salem’s built environment. Our goal is to nurture diversity and creativity and enhance the quality of life for all. Learn more at https://www.salemma.gov/public-art-commission.  Follow us on FB & Instagram @SalemArtsCulture.

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