Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial - Gainesville, FL - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

The beautifully landscaped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Garden is located next to the City Hall annex in downtown Gainesville, Florida, USA. A sign at the entrance to the garden states that groundbreaking for the memorial garden occurred on January 20, 1986, and that it was completed in January 1988. At the center of the garden is a monument commemorating Dr. King and his Dream. A plaque on the monument states: "Presented to the Citizens of Gainesville and Alachua County by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Fund, Inc. January 16, 1989."

The monument includes a statue of a girl and boy. The following description of the monument is from the Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog:

"Description: Full-length figures of a young girl and boy, standing back-to-back. The girl wears a dress and has her hair in pigtails. She wears a stethoscope around her neck and holds the end of it with her proper right hand. In her proper left hand she carries a closed book. The boy wears a bow tie and shorts. In his proper left hand he is holding up a model of a space shuttle. In his proper right hand he carries a closed book. The bronze sculpture stands atop a base made of limestone blocks capped with granite. Recessed on the front face of the base is a bronze bas-relief plaque with a portrait bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the left center. In the top right corner of the plaque is a portrait of King in proper left profile. He is addressing a crowd; his proper right arm is raised. In the bottom right corner of the plaque are several men with placards on their chests, marching. The man leading them holds a flag. The sculpture and base stand in the center of a fountain pool which is planted with various water plants."

"Inscription: Gordon Kunzig (On bronze relief plaque:) I HAVE A DREAM/WE'VE GOT SOME/DIFFICULT DAYS/AHEAD. BUT IT/DOESN'T MATTER/WITH ME NOW./BECAUSE I'VE BEEN/TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP./MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR./1929-1968 (On plaque on front of basin:) PRESENTED TO THE CITIZENS OF GAINESVILLE AND ALACHUA/COUNTY/BY THE/MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. FUND, INC./JANUARY 16, 1989 (On plaque on back:) I HAVE A DREAM/"...I have a dream that one/day this nation will rise up/and live out the true meaning/of its creed, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'..."/NONVIOLENCE/"...Violence is immoral because/it thrives on hatred rather than/love. It destroys community and/makes brotherhood impossible...It creates bitterness in the survivors/and brutality in the destroyers..."/BROTHERHOOD/"...We must all learn to live together/as brothers or we will perish together/as fools..." (On book carried by girl:) MEDICINE (On book carried by boy:) SPACE EXPLORATION signed"

TITLE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial ARTIST(S): Elsbeth Kunzig Gordon, sculptor; Alexander Bigler, founder; Equestrian Forge, founder. DATE: Dedicated 1986, 1987 and 1988. MEDIUM: Sculpture: bronze; Relief: bronze; Base: limestone, granite, plants. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS FL000891 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Located in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Garden next to the City Hall annex at 200 East University Avenue in downtown Gainesville, Florida 32601. DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None noted.

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