Last week, fencing went up around the White House as an increased security measure to keep protestors and demonstrators who were marching to end police violence from getting too close to the building. In the days since, the fencing has become a memorial wall to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till, and other black Americans who have died because of bigotry. Now, as the Secret Service and U.S. Park Police begin removing the fencing, the Smithsonian is rushing to the scene to collect what it views as historic artwork.
A group of curators from the @smithsonian have arrived and are preparing to collect the artwork left by thousands of protesters over the last week to honor black lives lost at the hands of police.
“This is a really important moment,” said Dwandalyn Reece of the @NMAAHC. https://t.co/bnaQR3VhRw pic.twitter.com/3sa3WrZ6OI
— Hannah Natanson (@hannah_natanson) June 10, 2020
In a series of tweets documenting the moment, Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson shared video footage on Wednesday morning of curators from the Smithsonian and National Museum of African American History and Culture as they toured the crowd-sourced art gallery in the D.C. streets looking for notable works to photograph and preserve.
“This is a really important moment,” says Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, the executive committee chair of the NMAAHC.
History is being documented right now in the nation’s capital. Curators from @smithsonian @NMAAHC are strolling along the wall of protest art by the White House and discussing which signs to photograph and preserve. pic.twitter.com/3quVyC2yHJ
— Hannah Natanson (@hannah_natanson) June 10, 2020
Speaking to DCist, Kai Gamanya — a protestor who hung a painting of a raised fist flanked by a crown and pyramid on the fence –described the art gallery as a moving, saying “It’s like the whole nation is crying, and this whole fence is crying.”
The scene around the fencing is truly something to behold. Take a look at some of the posters below.
