douglas Kornfeld
"Open Hand, Open Heart" - 2015
Steel and perforated steel - 32' x 17' x 6" - Pittman-Sullivan Park, San Antonio, TX.
The sculpture depicts an an upraised arm with and open hand. The areas that appear transparent are perforated steel plate. The ring at the bottom of the sculpture is hand-polished stainless steel.
Dr. Martin Luther King and his philosophy of pursuing social change by non-violent action inspired this artwork. The open hand is a peaceful gesture further emphasized by the open ring in the palm. At the bottom of the arm is another ring designed to encourage visitors to step through the artwork. The polished stainless steel ring is meant to be touched. As visitors step through the opening, they steady themselves by placing their hand on the ring, this action mimics the gesture of the open hand depicted by the sculpture. This connects the participant physically to the sculpture and symbolically to Dr. King's non-violent philosophy.
The sculpture is located in Pittman-Sullivan Park; the end point of the annual Martin Luther King Day march. The march, the largest in the country, regularly attracts over 100,000 participants
Commissioning agency: Department of Arts & Culture, City of San Antonio.
