The Recognition Panels

The Recognition Panels, 1996

Mary Brogger

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, between 24^th and 25^th and 35^th Streets

            Commissioned as part of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Restoration project in Bronzeville, one of the most historically significant African-American neighborhoods in the country, the design for The Recognition Panels is based upon motifs from the relief carvings atop the VictoryMonument by Leonard Crunelle. Located at 35^th Street and King Drive, Crunelle’s bronze and stone sculpture from 1927 honors the African-American soldiers who served in the military and assisted the French in World War I. Artist Mary Brogger adapted the carved pattern, consisting of a shield surrounded by an acanthus vine, and combined it with icons commemorating aspects of Bronzeville’s legacy. Working with laser-cut steel, Brogger juxtaposes the more traditional ornamentation with bright red industrial materials, making a conceptual link between the Crunelle monument 35^th street and the bright yellow steel-beam construction by John Henry at the Cermak Avenue gateway.