At the heart of this Commemorative Experience, With These Hands, by Hank Willis Thomas, emerges as a physical manifestation of reverence and gratitude to the enslaved and exploited individuals who’s stolen labor Davidson College is indebted to. Marked with years of labor and wear,  a pair of hands cradle both the earth and the visitor, creating a space for contemplation and reverence, cradling us in a sanctuary, so we can be held in the palm of history.  It is a place of refuge, a place to honor, commemorate, grieve, and be held accountable.

It is endeavored for the site to become a living memorial, recognizing the lives that have intersected within the context of enslavement and exploitation on Davidson’s campus and our continued collective work in revealing identities that were stripped away to enforce slavery and exploitation.

Artist: Hank Willis Thomas

Negative Space: Artist Representation and Public Art Project Management

Landscape Design: Perkins & Will

Site: Davidson College Campus

Learn more at withthesehands.design , davidson.edu & perkinswill.com