Judy Chicago, founding mother of feminist art
She's been an artistic chameleon for more than six decades. Now, at 82, Judy Chicago is being celebrated with her first career retrospective, at San Francisco's de Young Museum. Correspondent Martha Teichner talked with Chicago about how she gave up being like "one of the boys" in a male-dominated art world, to forge her own identity; her landmark piece, "The Dinner Party"; and the subsequent work that has defined her as an artist of unusual breadth.
news.yahoo.comExperts open time capsule found at Gen. Lee statue site
Conservation experts in Virginia’s capital Tuesday pulled buttons, coins, documents and other artifacts from a time capsule found in the remnants of a pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The lead conservator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Kate Ridgway, said that the measurements and material, copper, match historical accounts, so they believe it’s the 1887 time capsule they’ve been looking for. Conservators had already made several cuts before the media was invited to observe Ridgway make the final cut.
news.yahoo.comCrews may have found 1887 time capsule in Lee statue base
Crews working to remove the pedestal where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee towered over Richmond for more than a century believe they've found a time capsule that was buried there in 1887. The massive bronze equestrian statue of Lee, erected in 1890, was taken down in September, more than a year after Gov. Ralph Northam ordered its removal after protests over racism and police brutality erupted across the country following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The day after the statue was removed, work crews spent more than 12 hours searching for the time capsule in the 40-foot (12-meter) tall pedestal, but were unable to locate it.
news.yahoo.comSouthwest Virginia museum protesting plan to melt down Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue
Two unsuccessful bidders for the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protesters to Charlottesville have filed a letter protesting the city's process to get rid of the statue, which ended last week in the acceptance of a proposal to melt it down and turn it into new art.
Charlottesville African American museum will melt down Robert E. Lee statue for new public art piece
The 1,100-pound bronze statue of Robert E. Lee that was at the center of a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., will soon be melted down and repurposed into a new public artwork.
news.yahoo.comGovernor Northam announces removal of Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to City
Sunday, Governor Ralph Northam announced the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument pedestal that displayed the Confederate General. This is part of an agreement reached with the City of Richmond to transfer the state-owned land to the City.
Removed Robert E. Lee statue now on display at Texas resort
A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the city of Dallas removed from a park and later sold in an online auction is now on display at a golf resort in West Texas. The bronze sculpture, which was removed from the Dallas park in September 2017, is now at the Lajitas Golf Resort in Terlingua, Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported.
news.yahoo.comNational Cathedral's Confederate-themed stained glass to be replaced with racial justice imagery to "tell the truth" of country's past
The former Confederate images "represented a false narrative of what America once was and left out the painful truth of our history," the Cathedral dean said.
cbsnews.comCrews end daylong search for 1887 Lee statue time capsule
Crews in Virginia ended a daylong search Thursday after they were unable to locate a 134-year-old time capsule state officials believe is buried in the pedestal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that towered over Richmond for more than a century.
Virginia Supreme Court rules state can remove Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond
The Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Thursday that the state can take down an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has towered over a traffic island in Richmond for more than a century and has become a symbol of racial injustice.
Rockbridge County town looking to acquire Charlottesville’s Confederate statues
At least 13 organizations and one municipality have expressed interest in acquiring two statues of Confederate generals removed from downtown Charlottesville parks, including one monument that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017, according to city documents.
Charlottesville to remove Confederate monuments Saturday
A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville is set to come down Saturday, the city announced. Charlottesville said in a news release that the equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as a nearby one of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed Saturday. As those plans emerged, the Lee monument became a rallying point for white supremacists and other racist groups, culminating in the violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017.
news.yahoo.comReport finds 'no racist intent' behind song 'Eyes of Texas'
FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, fans join in singing "The Eyes of Texas" after Texas defeated UTEP 59-3 in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas' long-awaited report on the history of the school song The Eyes of Texas found it had no racist intent, but the school will not require athletes and band members to participate in singing or playing it at games and campus events. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas' long-awaited report on “The Eyes of Texas” has found that the school song has “no racist intent," but the school president said athletes and band members will not be required to sing or participate when the song is played at games and campus events. The report also noted the song was first performed at a minstrel show, most likely with performers in blackface. “Nobody has been, or will be, required to sing the song," Hartzell said.
SPLC: At least 160 Confederate symbols taken down in 2020
FILE - In this July 7, 2020, file photo, crews attach straps to the statue Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. At least 160 Confederate symbols were taken down or moved from public spaces in 2020. Ad“These racist symbols only serve to uphold revisionist history and the belief that white supremacy remains morally acceptable,” SPLC chief of staff Lecia Brooks said in a statement. In December, a state commission recommended replacing Lee’s statue with a statue of Johns. He served as president of the Confederate States of America after becoming a U.S. senator, not before becoming a U.S. senator.
Lee statue removed from US Capitol is now in Virginia museum
This Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 photo provided by the Office of the Governor of Virginia shows a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee being removed from the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington. The statue that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed after a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state. (Jack Mayer/Office of Governor of Virginia, File)The Robert E. Lee statue that stood in the U.S. Capitol on behalf of the state of Virginia for 111 years has been taken to a museum in Richmond. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the 700-pound bronze statue of Lee arrived Tuesday at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Ralph Northam requested the statue’s removal and a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state.
Virginia’s Lee statue has been removed from US Capitol
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 17: Tourists walk past the Statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that is located inside the US Capitol August 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has called for the removal of all Confederate statues from the United States Capitol. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)WASHINGTON – A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed. The Washington Post reports that workers removed the statue from Statuary Hall early Monday morning. Lee’s statue had stood with George Washington’s statue since 1909 as Virginia’s representatives in the Capitol’s honorary hall.
Virginia's Lee statue has been removed from the US Capitol
The statue that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed after a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state. (Jack Mayer/Office of Governor of Virginia, File)WASHINGTON – A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed. Ralph Northam said in a statement that workers removed the statue from the National Statuary Hall Collection early Monday morning. Northam had requested the removal and a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state. Lee's statue had stood with George Washington's statue since 1909 as Virginia’s representatives in the Capitol.
Depiction of Robert E. Lee’s mansion removed from Arlington County logo
ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. – Arlington County is changing its logo to remove a stylized version of its namesake mansion because of its ties to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The county announced Wednesday that its County Board voted unanimously to adopt a new logo. The current depicts the pillars of Arlington House, a mansion overlooking the Potomac River that was Lee’s home before the Civil War. The change comes as Confederate names and symbols are removed from schools, roads and parks across Virginia and the South. It also comes shortly after northern Virginia congressional members introduced legislation to end the official designation of Arlington House, a National Park Service site surrounded by Arlington National Cemetery - as a “Robert E. Lee Memorial.”
Lee statue at US Capitol to be replaced by 1 of 5 finalists
WASHINGTON – The state of Virginia will soon replace a statue of Robert E. Lee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. And there are now five finalists for the person whose statue will replace the Confederate general. The finalists include civil rights attorney Oliver Hill Sr. and teenage civil rights pioneer Barbara Johns. The Commission For Historical Statues In The United States Capitol will make its recommendation virtually on Wednesday to Virginia’s General Assembly. The state decided to replace the Lee statue following the killing of a Black man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis.
Northam seeks $25M for ‘historic justice’ initiatives
RICHMOND, Va. – Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has announced a proposal to spend $25 million to transform historical sites in Virginia, including the Richmond spot where a soaring statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee became a focal point of protests against racism. Northam said at a news conference Friday that nearly $11 million of the money would be used to reconstruct Richmond’s Monument Avenue, a historical boulevard that was lined with the Lee statue and other Confederate monuments for more than a century. His budget proposal would require the approval of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Judge sides with Virginia, but Lee statue stays put for now
RICHMOND, Va. – A judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of the Democratic Virginia governor’s plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee - but said the state can’t immediately act on his order. “The Lee monument was built to celebrate the Confederacy and uphold white supremacy. Reached by phone, an attorney for the plaintiffs, Patrick McSweeney, confirmed his clients would appeal to the Supreme Court of Virginia. It was out of this backdrop that the erection of the Lee Monument took place,” he wrote. Both McSweeney and a spokeswoman for Northam said the plaintiffs had 30 days to file a notice of appeal with the Virginia Supreme Court.
Public hearing set on Lee statue replacement at US Capitol
RICHMOND, Va. – A state panel tasked with recommending a replacement for Virginia’s Robert E. Lee statue at the U.S. Capitol will hold a virtual public hearing on the matter next month. The panel, created by the General Assembly earlier this year, has set a Nov. 17 hearing, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Sunday. Following the public hearing and the end of the public comment period, the Department of Historic Resources will present the panel with a list of five finalists. The panel voted in July to take down the Lee statue in the National Statuary Hall and replace it with the to-be-determined Virginian. The Farmville case lead to a landmark Supreme Court ruling that found officially segregated public schools unconstitutional.
Albemarle County spent $100K on Confederate statue removal
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. – A county in Virginia spent more than $100,000 to take down its Confederate statue and hold and event around the removal. The Daily Progress reported Tuesday that the cost to pay a construction company for the removal in Albemarle County cost about $60,000. But there were also costs that included staff overtime, setting up barricades and live-streaming the event because of virus restrictions. Last month, the county removed the “At Ready” soldier statue and its base from outside its courthouse. In Charlottesville three years ago, hundreds of white supremacists gathered in part to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Roanoke’s Lee Monument will be moved to Evergreen Burial Park
ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s monument to Robert E. Lee is getting a new home. On Monday, the Roanoke City Council decided to accept the proposal submitted by Evergreen Burial Park, which would move the obelisk there. Lee monument down on groundThe park is requesting that the city also move the base and pedestal from Lee Plaza to the park. “We think Evergreen Burial Park is a logical place for the Lee Monument, we have 60 Confederate veterans at Evergreen, we have a Union soldier buried at Evergreen," Wilson said. “We believe the Lee monument has a story of its own to tell, how it came to be, how it came to be removed, and how it came to come to Evergreen now," Wilson said.
Judge wont dismiss Lee statue lawsuit; case heads for trial
Ralph Northam's administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee can proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday, clearing the way for a trial in the fall. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant rejected much of the state's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of property owners along the residential boulevard where the statue is situated. Herring has vowed to continue the fight in court as long as it takes to see that the statue is removed. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South. Four other prominent statues of Confederate leaders have been taken down from city property along the avenue this summer.
Judge wont dismiss Lee statue lawsuit; case heads for trial
Ralph Northams administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee can proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday, clearing the way for a trial in the fall. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant rejected much of the states motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of property owners along the residential boulevard where the statue is situated. He did narrow the claims that can proceed, dismissing one count entirely and dismissing two plaintiffs from another claim. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South. Four other prominent statues of Confederate leaders have been taken down from city property along the avenue this summer.
Congressman seeks to end park's designation as Lee memorial
But Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, whose district is home to Arlington House, said it's time that Lee's name be stripped. Beyer's plans for legislation comes as descendants of a family enslaved at Arlington House have been lobbying for a name change. Surrounding the mansion is Arlington National Cemetery, which draws nearly 4 million visitors a year. Craig Syphax of Arlington is one of the descendants of Arlington House slaves who requested Beyer take action. He said learning his family history in his adult years helped give him a new outlook on life.
No immediate ruling on motion to dismiss Robert E. Lee statue lawsuit
RICHMOND, Va. – A judge heard arguments Tuesday but did not immediately rule on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmond's famed Monument Avenue. An injunction currently prevents Northam's administration from moving forward with plans to take down the bronze equestrian statue of Lee. Now cloaked in graffiti, the Lee statue and other nearby monuments have become a rallying point during ongoing social justice protests and occasional clashes with police. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South.
Roanoke City Council votes in favor of removing Robert E. Lee monument
ROANOKE, Va. City leaders made their voices clear on Monday night: The Robert E. Lee statue in downtown Roanoke should be permanently removed. [70-year-old Roanoke man charged with felony for damaging Confederate monument]Roanoke City Council voted 7-0 on Monday night in favor of permanently removing the monument. Representatives from local museums, historical societies, battlefields or governments are asked to contact the Roanoke City Managers Office within the next 30 days with proposals of what to do with the monument. If the City Managers Office doesnt receive proposals from these groups, the city manager will present options and decide where to go from there. City council members said theyve been trying to remove this statue since the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and theyre thankful its moving forward.
No immediate ruling on motion to dismiss Lee statue lawsuit
RICHMOND, Va. A judge heard arguments Tuesday but did not immediately rule on whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee along Richmonds famed Monument Avenue. An injunction currently prevents Northams administration from moving forward with plans to take down the bronze equestrian statue of Lee. Now cloaked in graffiti, the Lee statue and other nearby monuments have become a rallying point during ongoing social justice protests and occasional clashes with police. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South.
A progressive city with Confederate roots: Lexington’s unique path to racial equality
Fighting to preserve that history while creating equality, perhaps no other city in Virginia embodies the commonwealth’s identity struggle like Lexington, a liberal community with deep Confederate roots. “I think certainly in the past the Confederate history of this region has been much more prevalent. As we have progressed, I don’t see as many people coming for the Confederate history,” Friedman said. Robert E. Lee is crediting with saving Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) after his surrender to the Union. He said there is a great interest from people wanting to learn about these sites and community history.
Lexington’s Robert E. Lee hotel changing its name to ‘The Gin'
The historic Robert E. Lee Hotel announced it will be removing the controversial namesake of the building. “The building was built in the 1920s as the Robert E. Lee Hotel and it immediately fell on hard times with the Great Depression,” explained Francesco Benincasa, whose family owns the hotel. Benincasa and his family bought the hotel about six years ago and they completely renovated the building, transforming it from an apartment complex back to a hotel. “There’s always been a push and pull between the historic name of the building, Robert E. Lee Hotel that people have known it as around here for 100 years now, and also wanting to move forward and have your own brand,” Benincasa said. Over the next couple of weeks, the hotel will work to rebrand after its new name ‘The Gin’.
Man files petition to block permanent removal of Roanoke’s toppled Confederate monument
ROANOKE, Va. – A man is taking legal action to block the permanent removal of the Robert E. Lee monument in Roanoke’s Lee Plaza, which police said was toppled over this week by a 70-year-old Roanoke man who later turned himself in. Liniel Gregory Jr. believes the monument’s removal would open the door for the removal of other local monuments honoring war veterans, not just those pertaining to the Civil War. According to Gregory Jr.‘s petition to block the monument’s removal, which was filed earlier this month, the goal is to “protect the unalienable rights of the citizens of Roanoke to vote for such an important and emotional issue.”The damaged Lee monument is now sitting in storage, but Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea said this week that the damage to the monument won’t stop city leaders from removing it through legal means. “It is an unfortunate incident, but this will not deter us from going through the legal process to remove the monument,” said Mayor Sherman Lea. “We have a public hearing scheduled for the second (City) Council meeting in August to allow citizens to give their input on this matter, and we will proceed based upon the outcome of the public hearing.”Gregory Jr.‘s petition expresses concern that Roanoke citizens, including veterans or family members of veterans, will “be denied the right to vote yea or nay to destroy the history of the city, county Commonwealth or America.”
Robert E. Lee statue stays on its Richmond pedestal, for now
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond judge heard arguments Thursday but said he would not immediately issue a ruling in a lawsuit over Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plans to remove an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant said the matter was of great importance and said he would issue a written ruling later. Northam's administration has been readying plans to remove the enormous statue - should the court clear the way- from a soaring pedestal. The 21-foot-high equestrian statue, which the state has said weighs about 12 tons, sits atop a pedestal nearly twice that tall.