Fannie Lou Hamer Featured in Jenny Holzer’s, ‘THE PEOPLE’ Exhibit
SEPTEMBER 17, 2023 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - The words of the iconic civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) were featured in a light projection by renowned artist Jenny Holzer. The new artwork titled, THE PEOPLE, featured quotations Holzer gathered that span history and evoke the beauty of democracy, organizers said.
THE PEOPLE light projection featuring Fannie Lou Hamer.
“THE PEOPLE appeared on the National Mall 60 years after the March on Washington, one of the most resonant moments for our democracy,” said Megan Beyer, Director of Art in Embassies. “Jenny Holzer’s inspiring projection celebrating democracy and its values underscores what we have seen—that artists are the best ambassadors for freedom because they survive on freedom.”
Holzer, a past State Department Medal of Arts honoree, uses language as her primary medium.
Fannie Lou Hamer’s words, “Nobody’s Free Until Everybody’s Free” delivered before the National Women's Political Caucus in Washington, DC on July 10, 1971, were chosen for the exhibit. Also featured were several other activists including Hamer’s colleagues Ella Baker and John Lewis.
Jenny Holzer
The work was commissioned by the Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies to mark its 60th anniversary and to celebrate its Democracy Collection initiative. The projection began on Sunday, September 17, 2023, with a special opening concert featuring the “President’s Own” United States Marine Band and continued nightly through September 21.
THE PEOPLE was on view simultaneously on the façades of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden facing the National Mall from dusk through 11 p.m. each evening.
Three of Hamer’s family members, who granted Holzer permission to use her words, said they were “honored” to see Hamer remembered “in such a unique and inspiring manner.”
About Jenny Holzer: For more than 40 years, Jenny Holzer, a past State Department Medal of Arts honoree, has presented her astringent ideas, arguments, joys, and sorrows in public places and international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Her medium, whether a T-shirt, plaque, or LED sign, is writing, and the public dimension is integral to her work. Starting in the 1970s with New York City street posters and continuing through her recent light projections on landscape and architecture, her practice has rivaled ignorance and violence with humor, kindness, and courage. Holzer received the Leone d’Oro at the Venice Biennale in 1990, the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award in 1996, and the State Department’s Medal of Arts in 2017. She holds honorary degrees from Williams College, the Rhode Island School of Design, the New School, and Smith College.