Peter Patau
'Perhaps a New Spirit Is Rising Among Us'
Today's image is titled "Perhaps a New Spirit is Rising Among Us" was photographed by Peter Patau.
The election of Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States is for many a literal dream come true, an electoral kingdom come that is but the latest in America's halting steps towards fulfilling its own ideals over many scores of years. "Change," "Hope," and other bywords of the era bridge the space separating personal and shared aspirations, and communities from neighborhood to nation. Shared in a myriad of times and forms across the land, these long-held dreams are expressed in the South Madison Gateway Sculpture located at the intersection of Beld Street and Park Street in the Bram's Addition neighborhood.
Created by Milwaukee artist Ed Jeter, this trio of figures was dedicated in 1987 after being selected from among some 30 submissions through a Madison public art initiative and neighborhood beautification project. The sculpture, details the city, "was chosen for its reflection of South Madison as a place for all people (no identifiable race or class in the sculpture's figures); a good place to raise a family (man, woman, and child figures); a proud community (the adult figures' heads are thrown back); a community that welcomes new people (the adult figures create a gateway for the child); and a community of people working together."
Taken on the eve of Obama's Inauguration on Martin Luther King Day, the caption of this photo by Patau quotes the seminal Riverside Church appeal for peace delivered by the reverend on April 4, 1967: "Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movement, and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance. For we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us." It is only a single step, but the Inauguration on Tuesday is a reminder that a revolution of values is possible.
This is the latest entry of Madison Snaps: photos of Madison-area events and locations. This is the primary source for Madison Snaps, which are published here with the permission of individual contributors. If you are interested in having your photo eligible for Madison Snaps, please respond to the posting on the Flickr group page, or send a message. There is no compensation for Madison Snaps photos, which are © to the respective photographers.