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BuMann, Sharon,
LaFace, Lorenzo,
O'Sullivan, Danny,
Laran Bronze, Inc.,
BuMann Studios,
Portrait male -- Henry, William Jerry
History -- United States
Ethnic -- African American
State of Being -- Other
Figure group
Homage -- May, Samuel J.
Homage -- Loguen, Jermain W.
Occupation -- Other
Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- Syracuse
Relief
Sculpture
Jerry Rescue, (sculpture).
Artist:
BuMann, Sharon, 1953- , sculptor.
LaFace, Lorenzo, contractor.
O'Sullivan, Danny, contractor.
Laran Bronze, Inc., founder.
BuMann Studios, design firm.
Title:
Jerry Rescue, (sculpture).
Other Titles:
Rescue Monument, (sculpture).
Dates:
1990. Copyrighted 1990. Dedicated Aug. 10, 1990.
Digital Reference:
Medium:
Sculpture: Everdure bronze with patina; Base: concrete, granite, and brick.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. 9 ft. x 6 ft. x 4 in.; Base: approx. 12 ft. 8 in. x 9 ft. x 14 in.; Flanking walls: approx. 10 ft. 6 in. x 4 ft. x 14 in.; Star-shaped base: approx. W. 39 ft.
Inscription:
(On background, lower left corner:) BuMann 1990 (Incised above relief:) JERRY RESCUE (On base, front:) OCTOBER 1, 1851 (On base, right:) Design by/BuMann Studios/Sharon BuMann/Sculptor/Central Square, N.Y. (On base, left:) Masons:/Lorenzo LaFace/Danny O'Sullivan (Plaques on the reverse sides of each brick wall give the story of the Jerry Rescue and a list of acknowledgments and donors) signed
Description:
A three part brick wall with bronze relief depicting the freeing of an enslaved individual named William Henry, also known as "Jerry" McReynolds, from a Syracuse jail. Henry/McReynolds wears tattered clothes and broken shackles on his wrists. He is helped in his escape by two abolitionists - the Reverends Samuel J. May and Jermain W. Loguen. (They were instrumental in arranging the rescue, but were not actually present at the event and the figures representing them in the relief are not actual portraits). The central wall has two flanking walls encircling a bench of the same construction. All are installed on a star-shaped base, its points oriented to the actual points of the compass. Explanatory text plaques are found on the rear of the flanking walls.
Subject:
Portrait male -- Henry, William Jerry -- Full length
History -- United States -- Black History
Ethnic -- African American
State of Being -- Other -- Enslaved
Figure group
Homage -- May, Samuel J.
Homage -- Loguen, Jermain W.
Occupation -- Other -- Reformer
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture -- New York -- Syracuse
Relief
Sculpture
Owner:
Administered by City of Syracuse, Department of Parks and Recreation, 412 Spencer Street, Syracuse, New York 13204
Located Clinton Square, Corner of Erie Boulevard & Clinton Street, Syracuse, New York
Remarks:
The sculpture is a project of the Syracuse Urban Arts Commission. The Jerry Rescue Committee was formed in 1987 to raise funds from corporate and individual donors. It tells the story of William Henry, an enslaved individual from Missouri who was living in Syracuse as Jerry McReynolds and working as a cabinetmaker when he was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. On Oct. 1, 1851, a group of citizens helped Jerry escape from jail and go to Canada. Long the scene of abolitionist activity, this event helped establish Syracuse as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
IAS files contain the text of the monument's three plaques. The sculpture was controversial when erected because some citizens felt it glorified the abolitionists, rather than the enslaved individual, and they questioned the original motives of the abolitionists. There was also concern that no African Americans were involved in the creation or erection of the memorial. For related reading, see "A History of the Black Community in Syracuse," by Barbara S. Davis (Onondaga Community College Press, 1980, pg. 5-10); the Syracuse Post-Standard, Aug. 4, 1988, pg. D1 & D4 and Aug. 4, 1990, pg. B1; and the Valley News (Syracuse, New York), April 30, 1985, pg. 22.
References:
Save Outdoor Sculpture, New York survey, 1993.
Ted Bartlett, Crawford & Stearns: Architects and Preservation Planners, 1999.
Illustration:
Image on file.
Note:
The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.
Repository:
Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Control Number:
IAS NY001261
Copy/Holding information
Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum
Control Number
Inventory of American Sculpture
NY001261
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