Grounded in the Stars and Brought Down to Earth

A statue on display in Times Square draws both fans and foes

Grounded in the Stars sounds like a novel I may or may not have read in the aughts. The title is giving earthy, celestial, oxymoronic vibes. It conjures a tension between the majestic and the ordinary. Or maybe confusion, or an identity crisis, or better yet an existential crisis. How can someone or something be both here and there? Maybe you can relate. 

Summer “vacation” has me feeling this dreamy way. My children are out of school. Our routine is fully upended. Our home is under near-total renovation and we’ve temporarily decamped to Abuela’s house. Each day is equal parts core-memory-making and chaos. 

Dichotomy is exactly the concept that came to mind as I took in Grounded in the Stars, the 12-foot-tall figurative bronze sculpture by artist Thomas J Price that had a home in Times Square up until June 14th. The sculpture depicts a Black woman in jeans and a t-shirt, her pose is David-like, and her stature Goliath-esque.

Seldom have I ever seen a piece of art more accessible than this one. Rather than a high pedestal, the work stands on a small stage with one side sloped as a ramp. Tourists and locals alike saddled up to her for photos. You’d think people would love that, right? Not exactly. This statue is awash with controversy.

What’s so provocative about this piece? Apparently the ordinary-ness of its subject. She’s just like us. She’s not famous, carries no outward markers of wealth or distinction. Yet, here she is, captured in the glory of bronze at a scale beyond reality. To say that some people are incensed (an understatement) over this is baffling to me, but you can read about the racist uproar here in The New York Times.

For me, it conjures up the well known quote from Malcolm X.:

“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”

Here, a talented artist captures in bronze a figure so many of us can identify with, and somehow that is a problem. Her mere existence becomes a target for hate. I struggle to think of other recent pieces of artwork that conjure this level of vitriolic criticism.

When I visited this artwork earlier this month I thought she was awesome. I found it refreshing to see a monument devoted to someone relatable. In my mind, casting her in bronze was like a tribute to all of us living our lives, doing the best we can with what we’ve got. And I observed person after person who was delighted by the piece. People posed for selfies, looked up at her reverently, they weren’t afraid to get up close or deterred from touching her.

Thank you, Thomas J Price, for creating this piece. Thank you to the Times Square Alliance for bringing the piece to the public.