In the summer of 2021, the City of Burlington's Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) office conceived of a public art project that would become a landmark focal point for the community. REIB Partnered with Burlington City Arts (BCA) and Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront (BPRW) to find a suitable location for the project. Dewey Park was viewed as an ideal location based on a variety of factors, including its central location in the Old North End and proximity to the Integrated Arts Academy, which would make the artwork highly visible to a broad community, especially Burlington’s youth. The park is also home to a farmer’s market in the summer, reinforcing the project’s commitment to strengthening community involvement and use of the park. REIB partnered with BCA to issue a call to artists, support the selection process, and manage the implementation process.
The selection panel was comprised of community members in Burlington, representatives from the neighborhood, the ONE Farmers Market, students engaged with REIB, and others. In August 2021, BCA initiated a nationwide call to artists. 38 artists submitted their qualifications, and the review panel selected five artists from around the country to receive a $1,000 stipend to develop in-depth proposals.
Following the review period, the panel selected Humanity Memorial, led by renowned sculptor Ai Qiu Hopen.
BCA issued a press release announcing the call to artists on September 1, 2021, as well as one announcing the awardee on May 27, 2022. WCAX ran a news story regarding the nationwide search on September 21, 2021.
A Community meeting was held on December 5th, 2022 regarding the monument at the Integrated Arts Academy. It was recorded by Channel 17:
Watch the recording of the program at: https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/embrace-and-belonging-community-meeting-new-art-monument-dewey-park