Monument to City's 1968 Unrest to Be Unveiled Jan. 15
December 19, 2008
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
"One Mosaic: Many Voices," an exhibition celebrating a new work of art to commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1968 Baltimore unrest that followed in the wake of his assassination, will take place in the University of Baltimore's Langsdale Library and Auditorium, 1420 Maryland Ave., on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 4:30 p.m. The event, free and open to the public, will feature the unveiling of a large mosaic monument whose design was led by UB’s community artist in residence, Christina Ralls.
Ralls worked with several witnesses of the 1968 disturbances to design and construct the work over the past year and a half. It consists of a number of intricate ceramic tiles signifying the witnesses' memories of the unrest—glimpses of the Baltimore they knew before, during and after the riots.
The unveiling is the latest in a series of public initiatives by the University to explore, understand and remember the events of 1968, under the rubric "Baltimore '68: Riots and Rebirth."
In addition to the exhibition opening on Jan. 15, a dance troupe from ConneXions Leadership Academy will perform, beginning at 6 p.m. It will follow a screening of a documentary on the mosaic project and recovered news footage from 1968, as well as a panel discussion and civic dialogue on King's legacy, as facilitated by mosaic participants. The documentary and panel discussion will begin shortly after 4:30 p.m.
Also starting at that time, a memory quilt will be on display in the auditorium, where attendees can record their own thoughts on King or experiences from 1968. The quilt will be on display through Jan. 22. The mosaic will be on display in the library until early April.
For more information about this event, contact Langsdale Library at 410.837.4290. "One Mosaic: Many Voices" is sponsored by UB and the Community Arts Corps.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.