The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida
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We are raising funds for our new film called The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells. This is a documentary film about the life of Ida B. Wells and the creation of a monument honoring her work designed by renowned sculptor, Richard Hunt. The monument will be installed on the site of the former Ida B. Wells public housing development in Bronzeville, Chicago.
The film will weave together the creation of the monument of Ida B. Wells with her history and the sculptor’s history. Richard Hunt
passed away in December 2023 at 88, shortly after completing this work. He had been a major figure in American art for decades and was one of the most prolific American sculptors of public art of his time.
As we see the statue being designed and fabricated, we will learn about Ida B. Wells: from her beginnings born enslaved, she grew up in Mississippi after the Civil War, she fought the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for discriminatory acts, became a journalist and then an anti-lynching activist in Memphis. Later she moved to Chicago during The Columbian Exposition in 1893 where she protested against the Chicago World's Fair with Frederick Douglass and her soon to become husband Ferdinand Barnett. We learn of her important work as a suffragist organizing African American women to vote.
The film twins together these two monumental figures in Black history: Ida B. Wells and Richard Hunt. The film chronicles Hunt's masterful building of the Wells monument and how he and Wells shed a bright light on Black humanity, resilience and achievement.
When Richard Hunt was 19 years old he attended Emmitt Till's open casket funeral and that forever changed his art. He created Hero's Head. The film discusses many of these sculptures. Through the years, his art has celebrated and documented Black lives and Black history. Finally, we will see the installation and dedication of the monument for the community in Bronzeville, Chicago.
The requested funds are for production and post production costs: hiring camera operators and a sound person for filming interviews, filming the statue fabrication, filming the monument installation, and her home in Memphis Tenn., editing costs: hiring editor, editing suite, purchasing archival stills, sound mixing, and musical score.
The monument means a great deal to the Bronzeville community and to the people of Chicago. It reminds us all that Ida B. Wells, was a trailblazer who fought for truth and justice in a time of inequality. It is our intention to use this film to share her story and Richard Hunt's by showing it throughout the city and on PBS television. Your donations can help make this happen.
Below are links to a short trailer of the film, our website and Facebook Page:
Thank you,
Rana Segal
Laurie Little
Vincent Singleton
Organizer
Rana Segal
Organizer
Michigan City, IN
