Beyond Sims Proposals, Presentations, and a Vote with Vinnie Bagwell the Winning Sculpture

A call for artists went out on the heals of the removal of the statue of J. Marion Sims in 2018 for the creation of a new sculpture which will occupy the pedestal at 103rd Street and Fifth Avenue in East Harlem.

Now the date has been confirmed for the second artist-selection panel for Beyond Sims. Saturday, October 5th from 11am to 3pm at the Museum of the City of New York, Ronay Menschel Hall, 1220 Fifth Avenue, NYC.

Update October 8, 2019 ~ Artist Vinnie Bagwell is the winning design for Beyond Sims” Monument with her proposal ‘Victory.’ Simone Leigh has withdrawn her proposal.

“Following the Mayoral Monuments Commission’s report, we stood alongside community advocates to remove the statue of J. Marion Sims from Central Park. That extraordinary moment was just the beginning of the process to go beyond Sims’ legacy of medical experimentation on enslaved black women,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl. “Now we need artists to help us imagine what comes next.”

“We look forward to welcoming many ideas and visions for a new monument on the perimeter of Central Park where J. Marion Sims once stood,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “This call for artists is an exciting milestone in the continually evolving conversations about monuments and who we honor in our city’s public spaces. Parks is honored to be a part of this process alongside our partners at DCLA, DOHMH and the Committee to Empower Voices for Healing and Equity.”

The agenda will begin at 11am with introductions and review of Beyond Sims and Percent for Art selection process, followed by an impressive list of artist finalists including:

Vinnie Bagwell