Birmingham Jail
Item
Title
Birmingham Jail
Description
The central piece of this assemblage comes in the form of a large cage structure with a pair of heavy metal doors attached to the front; the left door closed, and the right door open. Atop the cage doors is an attached wooden structure built in the shape of three crosses, with one wooden cross over the left corner, one over the right corner, and one in the center, built on top of the horizontal wooden board bridging the corner crosses. The wooden crosses are are draped with barbed wire, which is also stretched across the top of the cage in an interlacing pattern. Beneath the center wooden cross is a heavily oxidized metal sign. It is clear that this sign has been written on with yellow paint, however it has become largely unreadable due to weathering. Words and phrases like "GOD IS THE WAY," "BILLY CLUBS," "1963," and "WE PUT OUR LIFE" are visible. Diagonally attached on top of this weathered metal sign is another sign made of a white piece of wood, which has "MLK LETTER FORM / BIRMINGHAM JAIL / 1963" written on it in black paint.
Beneath these two signs, the top horizontal bar of the cage reads "BIRMINGHAM FORGOTTEN FOOT SOLDIER WE SHALL OVERCOME" in yellow fading paint. The metal doors of the cage are also written on using yellow paint. The closed left door reads as follows: " GOD LOVE YOU / POLICE COMMISSIONER EUGENE / BULL CONNOR ORDERED HIS POL- / ICE OFFICERS TO USE FORCE ON / NON-VIOLENCE AFRICAN SCHOOL / CHILDREN CLERGY AND COMMUNITY / 12 AFRICAN CHURCHES HAD MASS / MEETINGS WEEKLY MAY 6 1963 MORE / THAN 8,000 AFRICAN PEOPLE ASSEM- / BLE 16TH ST BAPTIST CHURCH FOR MASS / DEMONSTRATIONS AFRICAN CHILDREN / FROM ELEMENTARY HIGH SCHOOL AND / COLLEGE IN KELLY-INGRAM PARK / TO PUT OUR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR / FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS WITH / GOD ON OUR SIDE / TO LEAD US ALL THE WAY / REV FRED SHUTTLESWORTH / REV DR MARTIN LUTHER KING / REV RALPH ABERNATHY / REV GARDNER / REV N.H. SMITH (FIRE BALL) / REV PHIEFER / REV COOPER / REV CALVIN WOOD-A WOOD / REV JESSEE DOUGLAS / REV ALFORD / REV ERSKINE FAULSH / DR CARLTON REESE / COLONEL JOHNSON (BUCK) / LILLY BROWN."
The open right door reads as follows: "AN'T GONE LET NOBODY / TURN ME AROUND / JAMES BEVEL J ARMSTRONG / JAMES ORANGE G PRICE / LUCINDER ROBEY / TOMMY WRENN / JUDGE U.W. CLEMONS / QUINTIN MITHELL / PATTON / ATTY ARTHUR SHORES / ATTY OSCAR ADAMS / ATTY BAKER / TEATHER VERA BROWN / MEATBALL AND SUNSHINE / POOLE FUNERAL AGGASTON MOTEL / AFRICAN HIGH SCHOOLS 1963 / ULLMAN GEORGE C BELL / PARKER ROBERT C JOHNSON / CARVER GOODSON / WESTERN JACKSON / HOOPER CITY HAYES / ROSEDALE J.S. ABRAMS / AFRICAN COLLEGE 1963 / PAUL DULLEY WHITE (TALL PAUL) / SHELLY STEWART (PLAYBOY) / REV ERSKINE FAULSH / JOHNNY MCCLURE (JOHNNY JIVE) / WILLIE MCKINSTRY / JESSEE CHAMPION / JAMES LAY / WILLIE KELLEY JONES / ODIS BARNES / DAVID LEE JONES / GEORGE EUGENE / TIMOTHY." The right door is propped open with a working boot.
Beside the open metal door on the right, a figure is constructed using metal rods, with one tall rod in the center and two smaller rods supporting it by leaning against the center rod diagonally. A metal plate is attached to the top of the rod, wearing a yellow hard hat helmet with the letters "BPD" in black paint written on it. The metal figure is adorned with working gloves, a mask of Marvel's "The Hulk," and a toy gun. A rope is tied to the end of the figure, which is tied on the other end to a stone dog guarding the cage's doors. Wrapped around the figure twice is a portion of a long fireman's hose, with faded painted words like "1963 BIRMINGHAM, AL POLICE" and "JESUS." The hose extends some distance to a wooden structure constructed of three tall wooden poles leaned against one another, with messages such as "COME TO JESUS" and "OVERCOME" written with white paint on a pole painted red, green, and yellow. A wooden triangle is nailed to the top of the structure with a small statue of an eagle positioned on it. The leftmost of the three wooden poles is taller than the other two, and has a wooden triangle nailed to it as well, pointing upward.
Beneath this wooden structure is a collection of children's toys, including a bicycle and characters from the children's show Sesame Street as well as a round metal object painted with "PROVERBS 22 / 6 TRAIN UP A / CHILD IN THE / WAY HE SHOULD GO / AND WHEN HE IS / OLD HE WILL NOT / DEPART / FROM / IT." The rest of the yard space in front of the cage features a variety of items, including six dog statues in total, children's toys such as toy trucks and rocking horses, worker's hard hats, fire hydrants, and stones. A wooden bench also sits facing the cage, with four pairs of shoes lines up across the bench's seat.
Inside of the cage is a black wooden figure, that has been painted with white stripes to appear to be dressed as a prisoner. The figure is wrapped in a steel chain with a lock on it, which encompasses the figures wrists, knees, and shoulders. An old white toilet is set to the left of the figure, with faded writing on the tank. A broken sink rests in the far right corner of the cage. Two separated metal bed headboards stand on either side of the cage. Along the cage's walls are masks of characters such as DC Comic's Batman, Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Darth Vader from Star Wars. A base of concrete bricks supports the structure of the cage. Around the cage's perimeter working gloves and boots are chained to the bar.
Beneath these two signs, the top horizontal bar of the cage reads "BIRMINGHAM FORGOTTEN FOOT SOLDIER WE SHALL OVERCOME" in yellow fading paint. The metal doors of the cage are also written on using yellow paint. The closed left door reads as follows: " GOD LOVE YOU / POLICE COMMISSIONER EUGENE / BULL CONNOR ORDERED HIS POL- / ICE OFFICERS TO USE FORCE ON / NON-VIOLENCE AFRICAN SCHOOL / CHILDREN CLERGY AND COMMUNITY / 12 AFRICAN CHURCHES HAD MASS / MEETINGS WEEKLY MAY 6 1963 MORE / THAN 8,000 AFRICAN PEOPLE ASSEM- / BLE 16TH ST BAPTIST CHURCH FOR MASS / DEMONSTRATIONS AFRICAN CHILDREN / FROM ELEMENTARY HIGH SCHOOL AND / COLLEGE IN KELLY-INGRAM PARK / TO PUT OUR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR / FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS WITH / GOD ON OUR SIDE / TO LEAD US ALL THE WAY / REV FRED SHUTTLESWORTH / REV DR MARTIN LUTHER KING / REV RALPH ABERNATHY / REV GARDNER / REV N.H. SMITH (FIRE BALL) / REV PHIEFER / REV COOPER / REV CALVIN WOOD-A WOOD / REV JESSEE DOUGLAS / REV ALFORD / REV ERSKINE FAULSH / DR CARLTON REESE / COLONEL JOHNSON (BUCK) / LILLY BROWN."
The open right door reads as follows: "AN'T GONE LET NOBODY / TURN ME AROUND / JAMES BEVEL J ARMSTRONG / JAMES ORANGE G PRICE / LUCINDER ROBEY / TOMMY WRENN / JUDGE U.W. CLEMONS / QUINTIN MITHELL / PATTON / ATTY ARTHUR SHORES / ATTY OSCAR ADAMS / ATTY BAKER / TEATHER VERA BROWN / MEATBALL AND SUNSHINE / POOLE FUNERAL AGGASTON MOTEL / AFRICAN HIGH SCHOOLS 1963 / ULLMAN GEORGE C BELL / PARKER ROBERT C JOHNSON / CARVER GOODSON / WESTERN JACKSON / HOOPER CITY HAYES / ROSEDALE J.S. ABRAMS / AFRICAN COLLEGE 1963 / PAUL DULLEY WHITE (TALL PAUL) / SHELLY STEWART (PLAYBOY) / REV ERSKINE FAULSH / JOHNNY MCCLURE (JOHNNY JIVE) / WILLIE MCKINSTRY / JESSEE CHAMPION / JAMES LAY / WILLIE KELLEY JONES / ODIS BARNES / DAVID LEE JONES / GEORGE EUGENE / TIMOTHY." The right door is propped open with a working boot.
Beside the open metal door on the right, a figure is constructed using metal rods, with one tall rod in the center and two smaller rods supporting it by leaning against the center rod diagonally. A metal plate is attached to the top of the rod, wearing a yellow hard hat helmet with the letters "BPD" in black paint written on it. The metal figure is adorned with working gloves, a mask of Marvel's "The Hulk," and a toy gun. A rope is tied to the end of the figure, which is tied on the other end to a stone dog guarding the cage's doors. Wrapped around the figure twice is a portion of a long fireman's hose, with faded painted words like "1963 BIRMINGHAM, AL POLICE" and "JESUS." The hose extends some distance to a wooden structure constructed of three tall wooden poles leaned against one another, with messages such as "COME TO JESUS" and "OVERCOME" written with white paint on a pole painted red, green, and yellow. A wooden triangle is nailed to the top of the structure with a small statue of an eagle positioned on it. The leftmost of the three wooden poles is taller than the other two, and has a wooden triangle nailed to it as well, pointing upward.
Beneath this wooden structure is a collection of children's toys, including a bicycle and characters from the children's show Sesame Street as well as a round metal object painted with "PROVERBS 22 / 6 TRAIN UP A / CHILD IN THE / WAY HE SHOULD GO / AND WHEN HE IS / OLD HE WILL NOT / DEPART / FROM / IT." The rest of the yard space in front of the cage features a variety of items, including six dog statues in total, children's toys such as toy trucks and rocking horses, worker's hard hats, fire hydrants, and stones. A wooden bench also sits facing the cage, with four pairs of shoes lines up across the bench's seat.
Inside of the cage is a black wooden figure, that has been painted with white stripes to appear to be dressed as a prisoner. The figure is wrapped in a steel chain with a lock on it, which encompasses the figures wrists, knees, and shoulders. An old white toilet is set to the left of the figure, with faded writing on the tank. A broken sink rests in the far right corner of the cage. Two separated metal bed headboards stand on either side of the cage. Along the cage's walls are masks of characters such as DC Comic's Batman, Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Darth Vader from Star Wars. A base of concrete bricks supports the structure of the cage. Around the cage's perimeter working gloves and boots are chained to the bar.
Subject
Assemblages (sculpture) See all items with this value
Civil rights movement See all items with this value
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Birmingham, Ala., 1963 See all items with this value
Creator
Minter, Joe
Language
English
Type
Assemblages (sculpture) See all items with this value
Format
found objects
metal bars
metal doors
metal plates
wood
cloth
helmets
gloves
boots
shoes
rope
children's toys
animal statues
a bench
stones
a metal figure
a toilet
a sink
bed headboards
character masks
steel chains
bricks
barbed wire