(Featured photo: Tower of Aspirations by Richard Hunt. Photo by Leonard Porkchop Zimmerman)
Richard Hunt, an American sculptor who created the two artworks in Augusta’s Springfield Village Park, died Saturday, Dec. 16, at his home in Chicago. He was 88.
Hunt was a renowned artist known for his designs that “explored historical and contemporary themes that revealed his profound insight into social and political issues,” according to an email from the International Sculpture Center, where he had served on its advisory committee.
Hunt created more than 160 public sculptures, and ”his prolific art career spanned nearly seven decades,” according to his obituary at his website richardhuntsculptor.com.
Augusta’s Springfield Village Park was built in 2002 to commemorate Springfield Baptist Church, the oldest active African American church in America, according to Destination Augusta’s website, visitaugusta.com.
The two sculptures at the park include a 45-foot stainless steel piece called “Tower of Aspirations” and a 20-foot- bronze one at the base of the tower called “And They Went Down Both Into the Water.” A fountain which symbolizes baptism in the Savannah River is also at the park, according to visitaugusta.com.
“Hunt’s metal sculpture is notable for its widespread presence in museum collections and many public monuments installed across the U.S. Despite challenges for African American artists during his lifetime, Hunt held over 150 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 100 public museums across the globe. Hunt made the largest contribution to public art in the United States, with more than 160 public sculpture commissions gracing prominent locations in 24 states and Washington, D.C.,” according to his obituary.
“Hunt sculpted major monuments and sculptures for some of our country’s greatest heroes, including Martin Luther King Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, Jesse Owens, Hobart Taylor, Jr. and Ida B. Wells. His sculptures commemorate events from the slave trade and the Middle Passage to the Great Migration. His massive 30-foot, 1,500-pound bronze, “Swing Low,” a monument to the African American Spiritual, hangs from the ceiling of the National Museum of African American History and Culture,” the website said.
A “celebration of art and life” will be held in Chicago in the spring. The dates will be announced.
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