A Bridge Across and Beyond

{{Infobox artwork

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| title = A Bridge Across and Beyond

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| artist = Richard Hunt

| year = {{Start date|1978}}

| type = Bronze

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| city = Washington, D.C.

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| coordinates = {{coord|38|55|26.52|N|77|1|8.81|W|region:US}}

| owner = Howard University

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A Bridge Across and Beyond, is a public artwork by American artist Richard Hunt, located at the Blackburn Center on the Howard University campus in Washington, D.C., United States. A Bridge Across and Beyond was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! survey in 1993.{{Cite web| author=SOS! | year=1993 | title=A Bridge Across and Beyond (sculpture). | work=Save Outdoor Sculpture | publisher=Smithsonian | url=http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!323777~!0#focus | access-date= 10 December 2010}}{{Cite web|author=Sonia Summers |year=2004 |title=Know Your University: A Bridge Across and Beyond |work=News |publisher=The Hilltop |url=http://www.thehilltoponline.com/news/know-your-university-a-bridge-across-and-beyond-1.468977?pagereq=2 |access-date=10 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717004826/http://www.thehilltoponline.com/news/know-your-university-a-bridge-across-and-beyond-1.468977?pagereq=2 |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}{{Citation | date =Feb 1980 | title =Complete List of Award Recipients and Honorees 1979 | periodical =Ebony | page =84| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=1csDAAAAMBAJ&q=%22bridge%20across%20and%20beyond%22%20%22richard%20hunt%22&pg=PA84 | issn =0012-9011 | access-date =22 April 2011 }}

Description

"A Bridge Across and Beyond" is a welded bronze abstract sculpture which sits, surrounded by fountains, within a large reflecting pool. The sculpture consists of two massive pyramid-like structures that bend towards each other, symbolizing both Africa and the descendants of Africans in America; the "bridge" is formed by abstract African symbols reaching across from each pyramid to the other.{{Cite web | author=Richard Hunt (sculptor) | year=1999 | title=Public Sculpture by Date | work=Public Sculpture | publisher=Richard Hunt (sculptor) | url=http://www.h-net.org/~rhunt/comm_by_date.html | access-date=22 April 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017141004/http://www.h-net.org/~rhunt/comm_by_date.html | archive-date=2012-10-17 | url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|author=Arica Wade |year=2005 |title=Blackburn Fountain Runs Dry With No Plans For Repair |work=News |publisher=The Hilltop |url=http://www.thehilltoponline.com/news/blackburn-fountain-runs-dry-with-no-plans-for-repair-1.466577 |access-date=22 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726144909/http://www.thehilltoponline.com/news/blackburn-fountain-runs-dry-with-no-plans-for-repair-1.466577 |archive-date=26 July 2011 }}

Acquisition and tribute

This sculpture was donated to the university by John Debrew, Jr., the CEO of Mildred Andrew's Fund. The sculpture is dedicated to Debrew's mother, Katie May Artis Debrew and all single mothers in the world.

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed in 1993 for its condition and was described that "well maintained". However, since 2005, the fountain has only been filled sporadically, due to cracks in the fountain. In lieu of repairing the fountain, Howard has considered removing the fountain, leaving the sculpture "suspended over a solid plaza." In 2007, Howard's Blackburn Center director, Roberta McLeod, passed out fliers and considered raising money to fix the fountain, desiring to leave it a working fountain unlike other fountains on campus, which were no longer running. Regarding the fixing of the fountain McLeod stated "I want it back the way it used to be because it was beautiful."{{Cite web|author=Mercia Williams-Murray |year=2007 |title=The Fountains that Bore No Water |work=News |publisher=The Hilltop |url=http://www.thehilltoponline.com/news/the-fountains-that-bore-no-water-1.463080 |access-date=22 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726144929/http://www.thehilltoponline.com/news/the-fountains-that-bore-no-water-1.463080 |archive-date=26 July 2011 }}

References

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Further reading