Helen Keller

Leave a reply

This picture was taken in the capitol building in Washington D.C. It is a statue of Helen Keller a well-known and respected individual. As a child she had been through many difficulties and through hard work and determination had overcome them. Keller was born on June 27, 1880. As a child she was both deaf and blind. With perseverance she became the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree and went on to become an American author, political activist. She has set an example for many and showed that no matter the challenges one faced you can still succeed. Her birthplace in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, has become a museum and President Jimmy Carter in 1980 has declared her birthday to be “Helen Keller Day”.

I believe that Keller was an outstanding example of how far human beings can go if they put their mind and effort into achieving something. She has empowered some many people including me to do the best we can. Her commemoration is duly deserved and I hope that many more people take the time to learn about her.

Citation

Helen Keller, Biography.com (2016), http://www.biography.com/people/helen-keller-9361967 (last visited Apr 3, 2017).

 

Walking in front the court house on Adams Street I came across a monument of Christopher Columbus which never seemed to amazed me. Explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy. Columbus participated in several other expeditions to Africa. In 1492 Columbus left Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the Niña along side. He has been credited for opening up the Americas to European colonization. A man of convictions, Christopher Columbus used his strong personality to persuade rulers and scholars to overlook the accepted theories about the size of the Earth to search out a new route to Asia. Although he wasn’t the first European to find American continent his journeys opened up the trade of goods and ideas between the two lands.

Image result for christopher columbus image in front the court house

For the past year I have walked past this monument and didn’t even had the chance to look.This monument is located in Camden Plaza East by Johnson Street. Henry Ward Beecher 1813-1887 the grateful gift of multitudes of all classes creeds and conditions at home and abroad to honor the great apostle of the brotherhood of man. I found out that Henry was an American abolitionist, speaker, minister and writer. He opposed slavery and also mocked auctions to help the slaves. The figures of the children below the base of the monument symbolize the role Henry played abolitionist movement band his devotion to children. He also helped raised funds to supply weapons to others who opposed slavery.

While I was taking my  A train I saw this interesting status it’s located in 14th St./Eighth Ave. station, over there they have  amount of little status where each of that one represent something interesting, especially  the underground gators along with dozens of other whimsical creatures are part of the permanent art installation housed at the intersection of the A,C,E, and L lines.  This is  a the political cartoon-inspired project was commissioned in the 90s along with the station’s renovation when the start the station they put those status. A certain percentage of each renovation budget is dedicated to permanent art for the station  and in this case that sum came out to $200,000.

Another interesting status located 14th St./Eighth Ave is this crawling out of manhole cover and hauling off a moneybag headed figure into the netherworld.  Some of the works are inspired by urban legends, where it said  “I finished a lot of the original work in five years but the renovation took ten years so I had a chance to show them aboveground in a few places.” One of those places was the Doris Freedman Plaza at the corner of Central Park, Though the aboveground displays went up in the mid-90s, underground installation didn’t begin until 2001 and was completed in 2004.

 

I live uptown Manhattan  this monument is located in Broadway and St. Nicholas Avenue, between 167th and 168th Streets. This is a representative monument of Manhattan of these three man where was this impressive monument stands at the apex of Mitchell Square, the memorial’s central image, was created by the esteemed sculptor and art patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney who was born on the 1875 and died in 1942. The meanings of this status is a three figure group in bronze depicting two soldiers, one kneeling and one standing, who support a third slumping comrade in battle. This monument was dedicated on May 30, 1922 to honors those men from the adjacent communities in northern Manhattan of Washington Heights and Inward who gave their lives while serving their country in World War I.

The parkland is named for John Perry Mitchell (1879–1918), a reform mayor, and also the youngest in New York City’s history, who was killed during a flight training accident in World War I. In 1998 the monument was fully restored, and a long-missing bayonet replicated, as part of an overall renovation to the park funded by Council Member Guillermo Linares included landscaping and the installation of a black wrought-iron fence and new benches. In 1999, the sculpture and base of the war memorial were cleaned, the patina replaced, protective coating applied, and a damaged bayonet was restored. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States, wrote of this park’s namesake, “No stauncher American, no abler and more disinterested public servant, and no finer natural soldier than Perry Mitchell was to be found in all our country.”

 

 

Peter Cooper

Leave a reply

oie_1919141coizyvum

I took this photo at Cooper Square, which houses the college of architecture and art known as Cooper Union. The statute commemorates the founder of the college, named Peter Cooper. He was industrialist,  philanthropist and inventor. He is honored for establishing and founding the college Cooper Union. Through research, I also found out that he invented Jello! And his wife is the mastermind behind why some jello has fruit in it.

I like the statue, because when I saw it I immediately thought of Abraham Lincoln’s memorial statue in Washington D.C., probably because they are seated similarly. His placement is suited well, because he can be seen from most angles of the square. I think I would have liked it if he was holding a cup of jello in his hand instead of a staff/walking stick.

Source: https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/cooper-triangle/monuments/328

Christopher Rios

Leave a reply

fullsizerender

This beautiful mural is located by Rogers place and East 163rd street in the Bronx.

 

Christopher Rios better known as “Big Pun” is a Bronx native rapper. His success came arise in the 90’s when his first hit album went platinum. This led him to become the first Latino rapper to do so. Although he dropped out of school early, he still managed to be passionate about reading. It was even stated that he did well before having to stop school. Due to issues at home and not having a great family life, he had to leave there as well. His lyrics tell his story. Unlike most rappers today, his words and how he composed them to rhyme were amazing. Even if you aren’t a fan of hip hop music, reading a song as if it were a poem would leave you surprised. His play on words and vocabulary weren’t as basic as most.

It is no surprise an art piece like this would be in the Bronx. Rios was of Puerto Rican decent. Many related to his music as he spoke our lives in his rhymes. A song can sing your life, or help you escape it. His did both for most. His unfortunate death due to a heart attack on February 7, 2000, left his fans saddened. Looking at this mural took me back to when I was younger and saw him at the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The painting sort of makes him out to be a “Boss”. Maybe he would’ve been, we’ll never know.

Jackie Robinson

Leave a reply

fullsizerender

This Memorial structure is located at Citi Field Stadium, home of the Mets.

 

Jackie Robinson, as most of us already know, was the first African American player in Major League Baseball. Robinson being signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers made a great impact in sports history. It helped end the racial segregation in Major League Baseball. In 1962 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He not only influences those in sports, but also a culture. The talent he possessed not only made him be accepted but also gave recognition to the Civil Rights Movement. He sadly passed away on October 24, 1972., due to a heart attack.

 

Basic rights weren’t available for people of color. Robinson received so many backlashes and hate for simply doing what he did best. Jackie didn’t give up; he changed not only his own life, but also millions of others. Many baseball players of color have him to thank for being a pioneer. As a baseball fan, I have nothing but respect and loved his memorial.