A Love Letter to Marsha explained

Italic Title:yes
A Love Letter to Marsha
Artist:Jesse Pallotta
Type:Sculpture
Material:Bronze
Metric Unit:cm
Imperial Unit:in
City:New York City

A Love Letter to Marsha is a sculpture featuring the LGBTQ activist Marsha P. Johnson by American artist Jesse Palotta.[1] It was originally erected in Christopher Park along Christopher Street in the West Village section of Manhattan, New York. The monument was completed in 2021 and was notably the first statue of a transgender individual in New York City. The sculpture features a life-size bust of Johnson made of bronze with holes to insert flowers.[2] It is a work of guerrilla art but was later approved by New York Park Services, making it the first sculpture of a transgender person in New York City.[3] [4] It currently resides at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.[5] [6]

Background

Petitions for a statue of Johnson in the West Village have existed as early as the 1980s.[7] Transgender activists planned the sculpture following unrealized plans for an official sculpture of Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in 2019.[8] [9] It is the city's first statue of a transgender person and the eighth statue of a woman among New York City's 800 park monuments.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] The sculpture was placed several feet away from the controversial Stonewall National Monument.[15] In 2015, activists vandalized the statues with brown paint and wigs for "whitewashing" the Stonewall riots.[16] [17]

Artist Jesse Pallotta used a silicone mold to cast the bronze bust.[18] They then had a team of activists erect the sculpture in Christopher Park on August 24, 2021, what would have been Johnson's 76th birthday.[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] The group used 150 pounds of cement to hold the wooden pedestal in place.[3] The sculpture includes a bronze plaque with a quote by activist and Stonewall participant Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt: "History isn't something you look back at and say it was inevitable, it happens because people make decisions that are sometimes very impulsive and of the moment, but those moments are cumulative realities."[24] [25]

In 2022, A Love Letter to Marsha was moved to the in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.[26]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Statue of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson erected in New York City park. Bil. Browning. August 25, 2021. LGBTQ Nation. June 22, 2022. June 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220621165117/https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/08/statue-trans-icon-marsha-p-johnson-erected-new-york-city-park/. live.
  2. Web site: On the Day of Marsha Johnson's Birthday, Guerrilla Memorial Pops Up by Stonewall. Valentina Di. Liscia. August 26, 2021. Hyperallergic. June 27, 2022. May 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220522061925/https://hyperallergic.com/672833/on-the-day-of-marsha-johnsons-birthday-guerrilla-memorial-pops-up-by-stonewall/. live.
  3. Web site: "We Did Not Get Permission": A Discussion With Jesse Pallotta. September 26, 2021. Hard Crackers. June 21, 2022. August 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220814155233/https://hardcrackers.com/we-did-not-get-permission-a-discussion-with-jesse-pallotta/. live.
  4. Web site: The first transgender activist sculpture in New York City Parks. Lana. Leonard. March 25, 2022. Out In Jersey. June 21, 2022. June 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622160637/https://outinjersey.net/the-first-transgender-activist-sculpture-in-new-york-city-parks/. live.
  5. Web site: A bust of Marsha P. Johnson went up near the Stonewall Inn as a tribute to the transgender activist. Scottie. Andrew. August 28, 2021. CNN. June 21, 2022. June 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220621163429/https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/28/us/marsha-p-johnson-bust-new-york-trnd/index.html. live.
  6. Web site: A love letter to Marsha P. Johnson. Lana. Leonard. June 18, 2022. Out In Jersey. June 22, 2022. June 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622160630/https://outinjersey.net/a-love-letter-to-marsha-p-johnson/. live.
  7. Web site: Queer Serial. — Marsha. Queer Serial.. 2022-06-21. 2022-09-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170845/https://www.mattachinepod.com/marsha. live.
  8. Web site: Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera (U.S. National Park Service). nps.gov. 2022-06-22. 2022-06-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622163213/https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/marsha-p-johnson-sylvia-rivera.htm. live.
  9. Web site: Tired of waiting for City Hall, activists install monument of trans icon in Greenwich Village park. Chris. Welch. August 30, 2021. FOX 5 NY. June 21, 2022. June 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220627032544/https://www.fox5ny.com/news/activists-install-marsha-p-johnson-monument-in-park. live.
  10. Web site: Black. Derek. September 29, 2021. New York, a statue for Marsha Johnson, drag queen and LGBTQ activist. World Stock Market. June 22, 2022. September 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170607/https://www.worldstockmarket.net/new-york-a-statue-for-marsha-johnson-drag-queen-and-lgbtq-activist/. live.
  11. Web site: Why the First Monument of Real Women in Central Park Matters—and Why It's Controversial. Nora. McGreevy. August 26, 2020. Smithsonian Magazine. June 22, 2022. May 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220521161342/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/monument-controversy-women-pioneer-central-park-180975662/. live.
  12. Web site: Parks Monuments Dedicated to Women : NYC Parks. nycgovparks.org. 2022-06-22. 2022-06-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20220621163433/https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/women/monuments. live.
  13. Web site: NYC's First Female Historical Statue Was Unveiled 105 Years Ago. The 6th Just Arrived This Week. Jen. Carlson. August 26, 2020. Gothamist. June 22, 2022. August 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210814224835/https://gothamist.com/. live.
  14. Web site: The Only Five Public Statues of Historic Women in NYC. Allison. Meier. July 31, 2015. Hyperallergic. June 27, 2022. June 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220627175845/https://hyperallergic.com/226186/the-only-five-public-statues-of-historic-women-in-nyc/. live.
  15. Web site: Statue of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson erected in New York City / LGBTQ Nation park. Becky J.. Dansereau. August 25, 2021. Crane Point. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20220920163526/https://www.cranepoint.org/2021/08/25/statue-of-trans-icon-marsha-p-johnson-erected-in-new-york-city-lgbtq-nation-park/. September 20, 2022.
  16. Web site: Browning. Bil. Activists Vandalize New York City Stonewall Monument to Protest 'Whitewashing'. August 19, 2015. Advocate. June 27, 2022. June 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220627004805/https://www.advocate.com/stonewall/2015/08/19/activists-vandalize-new-york-city-stonewall-monument-protest-whitewashing. live.
  17. Web site: Does the 'Gay Liberation' Monument Whitewash Stonewall?. Jarrett. Earnest. November 28, 2018. Vulture. June 22, 2022. June 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622163349/https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/is-nycs-gay-liberation-monument-too-white.html. live.
  18. Web site: Davis. Niesha. A Love Letter to Marsha, The Spontaneous Statue of Trans-Activist Marsha P. Johnson, Gets a New Home at The Center, in New York. BUST. 25 May 2022 . 2022-06-21. 2022-07-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20220701034753/https://bust.com/feminism/198802-marsha-p-johnson-statue-love-letter-to-marsha-moves-to-the-center.html. live.
  19. Web site: Badham. Rachel. Activists create Marsha P Johnson monument in New York. August 31, 2021. Gscene. June 22, 2022. May 26, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220526164417/https://www.gscene.com/news/activists-create-marsha-p-johnson-monument-in-new-york/. live.
  20. Web site: Parsons. Vic. 7 powerful pieces of art honouring trans lives and demanding better for them. October 6, 2021. PinkNews. June 21, 2022. June 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220621164627/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/10/06/trans-lives-murals/. live.
  21. Web site: Guerrilla memorial is NYC's first statue of a trans person. Rachel. Cohen. September 20, 2021. Washington Square News. June 21, 2022. June 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220613083816/https://nyunews.com/news/2021/09/20/marsha-p-johnson-nyc-first-statue-of-a-trans-person/. live.
  22. Web site: A Love Letter to Marsha, The Spontaneous Statue of Trans-Activist Marsha P. Johnson, Gets a New Home at The Center, in New York. BUST. Magazine. May 25, 2022. Head Topics. June 21, 2022. June 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220621164628/https://headtopics.com/us/a-love-letter-to-marsha-the-spontaneous-statue-of-trans-activist-marsha-p-johnson-gets-a-new-home-26743457. live.
  23. Web site: Jesse Pallotta: A Love Letter to Marsha. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. 2022-06-21. 2022-07-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20220701195811/https://gaycenter.org/marsha-statue/. live.
  24. Web site: Monument Mondays - Jesse Pallotta. SuffrageForward...100 Years & Onward. 2022-06-22. 2022-09-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20220920163301/https://www.suffrageforward.org/blog-monumentmondays/monument-mondays-jesse-pallotta-1. live.
  25. Web site: Factora. James. This New Statue of Marsha P. Johnson Is Fighting the "Whitewashing" of LGBTQ+ History. August 26, 2021. them.. June 22, 2022. June 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220621165109/https://www.them.us/story/new-statue-marsha-p-johnson-fighting-whitewashing-lgbtq-history. live.
  26. Web site: Public Installation: JESSE PALLOTTA: A LOVE LETTER TO MARSHA. May 20, 2022. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. June 21, 2022. June 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220621165029/https://gaycenter.org/event/public-installation-jesse-pallottaa-love-letter-to-marsha/. live.

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