Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

George Mason

George Mason History

Art student Katherine Ashby brings to life the stories of the enslaved at Gunston Hall

Mariam Aburdeineh — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:16:23 +0000

Art student Katherine Ashby brings to life the stories of the enslaved at Gunston Hall Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 02/15/2023 - 14:16

The first time Katherine Ashby saw her artwork installed at Gunston Hall, the historic home of U.S. Founding Father George Mason IV, it was surreal.

“I had never done something that felt that important or that had been installed physically,” the senior painting major from ��AV said. “Usually, my work is put online digitally, so it was really a big moment.”

Mason student Katherine Ashby was commissioned to create life-sized portraits of those who lived at Gunston Hall. Shown in the background here is one of Ashby's depictions of an enslaved woman working in the mansion. Photo by Cristian Torres / Office of University Branding.

Painting a Critical Narrative

The significance of Ashby’s art was both that it was installed in a museum and that it shone a light on a lesser-known narrative of the people who helped run Gunston Hall: the hundreds of people Mason enslaved to run his estate.

“Art speaks not just to the emotions, but to the mind of the viewer,” Ashby said. “What we’re trying to communicate with this installation was that it was pretty much impossible for anything to really occur without the help of all these enslaved people.”

In November 2022, Ashby was commissioned to create life-size portraits of George Mason IV and other people who lived at Gunston Hall, including some of the people held in slavery there.

Ashby's depiction of George Mason IV at Gunston Hall. Photo by Mariam Aburdeineh.

“I asked several people at Gunston Hall about what they knew about the people who worked there and did independent research into the time period, what people wore, and how that was represented in artwork,” Ashby said.

By December 2022, Ashby said the portraits, which she created on her iPad using the application Procreate, were ready for Gunston Hall’s Christmastide event.

“Katherine Ashby was just delightful to work with,” said Rebecca Martin, director of education and guest experiences at Gunston Hall. “She understood immediately what we were trying to accomplish and was so willing to come and visit, to see what we were doing, and to try and make the illustrations do the very best job.”

“We hope [visitors] find [the portraits] to be compelling,” Martin said. “We find them to be so.”

Bringing Ideas to Life

Ashby, who was born in Dallas, Texas, and lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said she hopes to become a concept artist, bringing to life the visions of directors, authors, curators, and others with big ideas.

“I settled on painting [as a major] because the required courses really build up to artistic knowledge and technique that is required to be the efficient communicator of someone else’s ideas,” she said.

Ashby believes Mason’s School of Art has helped her grow professionally.

“[Chawky Frenn] is an intense professor, but his standards really push you to a whole new level,” she said.

Ashby said she also appreciated comprehensive art history courses taught by Heather McGuire, and how Paul Zdepski gave her a framework for her navigating professional interactions as an artist.

“I believe Katherine exhibits the needed drive to work within the arts for a lifetime,” said Zdepski, who told Ashby about the opportunity at Gunston Hall and encouraged her to submit her portfolio.

“Katherine’s time management abilities, while executing amazing work, places her ahead of many artists out there,” Zdepski said. “The fact that she is able to take up a huge project with a fixed deadline and deliver on-time, if not ahead of schedule, establishes her mystique among those she’s worked with.”

Ashby's depiction of an enslaved woman tending a fire at Gunston Hall.

A New Perspective on History

“What I’m most proud of with this project is representing an aspect of history that’s discussed to an extent, but perhaps not dwelled on,” Ashby said. “It was gratifying to contribute to that dialogue, and it meant I got to think more about this dialogue as well.”

Ashby's depiction of an enslaved man dressed in livery at Gunston Hall.

That included critically assessing which lens we use to understand history, she said.

The experience also put into perspective what Ashby had studied in art theory classes on the importance of curation, how works are displayed and what that communicates to the audience, she said.

At Gunston Hall, that depiction is matter-of-fact.

“[When you walk in, you’ll see] a depiction of enslaved people working while other people are celebrating,’” Ashby said. “I think that casual depiction is important.”

“This was their life,” she said. “And there’s not really anything we can do about it, except see it for what it was and build upon that for the future.”

Topics

INTO Mason students learn about the significance of Juneteenth, the Civil War and local history

Colleen Rich — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 17:10:28 +0000

INTO Mason students learn about the significance of Juneteenth, the Civil War and local history Colleen Rich Wed, 06/22/2022 - 13:10

INTO Mason students went on a guided tour of the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Students participating in INTO ��AV’s summer English program learned about the significance of Juneteenth and went on a guided tour Tuesday of the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial and the Civil War redoubt located on the university’s Fairfax Campus.

Steven A. Harris-Scott, INTO Mason’s interim associate academic director for faculty affairs and strategic initiatives, led a crowd of about 60 students on the tour, discussing George Mason IV, his history as both a founder and slave owner, the Civil War and the ways that racism still exists in the United States.

INTO Mason students, who come from all over the world to learn English and American academic customs, often arrive in the U.S. with little understanding of how race has affected this country, said Harris-Scott.

“International students aren’t necessarily aware of the history of racism in this country, yet they experience aspects of racism when they get here,” said Harris-Scott. “It’s part of our mission to engage our international students in American culture, and that includes our history of racism. I thought Juneteenth and our historical landmarks provided us with a way to broach a conversation about American history and racism.”

Han Pham, an INTO Mason student from Vietnam, said she appreciated the tour and the explanation about the country’s history of slavery.

“I like that I had the chance to learn more about the history of the U.S.” Pham said.

INTO Mason students also learned about the U.S. Civil War when visiting the redoubt preserved on the Fairfax Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

About 60 INTO Mason students attend the intensive 10-week English language program offered in the summer. The students come to learn English, often with the intention to pursue further higher education in the United States. INTO Mason is a partnership between INTO University Partnerships and Mason. The program supports international students from application to graduation, and offers a variety of ways to help foreign students achieve success in the United States.

The tour and discussion, said Harris-Scott, was a way to get the students “out of the building to experience something physical and tangible” and also teach them about Juneteenth.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, or Jubilee Day, commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Galveston, Texas, more than two years late. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth has long been a day of remembrance and an opportunity for Black people in the United States to honor their history and emphasize their citizenship.

Tomaya Itami, an INTO Mason student from Japan, said that learning about the U.S.’s past, including its history of slavery and racism, was “necessary” for him to know.

“I had no idea that George Mason used to have slaves, and I learned about how they were treated,” Itami said. “It’s important to know.”

Harris-Scott first took the students to the Civil War redoubt located in the woods behind the western edge of Parking Lot K. The redoubt is a circular earthen fortification constructed and used during the Civil War. A number of different Union and Confederate military forces occupied the fort during the war, including a brigade led by Stonewall Jackson.

Harris-Scott then took the students to both the George Mason statue and the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, the centerpiece of Wilkins Plaza, spanning roughly 300 feet, to remember the history of the people enslaved by George Mason at Gunston Hall.

Wendi Manuel-Scott, a professor within the School of Integrative Studies, the Department of History and Art History, and one of the faculty members on the project, has said its goal is to “focus on expanding our community’s understanding of Mason, and to focus on the people he owned and what they thought about freedom.”

Munib Abdullah, an INTO Mason student from Saudi Arabia, said he was glad to have gone on the tour and to have learned about Juneteenth, but also that he was surprised that Mason owned slaves.

“It’s good to know about the good and the bad things about the past in order to help us with the present and the future,” Abdullah said.

Topics

INTO Mason

Juneteenth

Students

The Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial is dedicated in ‘a landmark day for the university’

Melanie Balog — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 21:59:30 +0000

The Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial is dedicated in ‘a landmark day for the university’ Melanie Balog Mon, 04/04/2022 - 17:59

Wendi Manuel Scott addresses the crowd gathered for the dedication of the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial on Monday, April 4. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Kye Farrow had previously walked through the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, and felt proud.

Farrow, BA History ’19, MS Management ’20, was one of the five Mason students whose research into the enslaved children of George Mason IV led to the construction of the memorial, which is the cornerstone of the reimagined Wilkins Plaza on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus.

But on Monday, as several hundred people assembled on the plaza for the monument’s dedication, Farrow, who would later speak at the event, said he was “just happy overall.”

“Studying history is what makes history not repeat,” Farrow said. “Being aware of history is what makes people have informed decisions and do things from a thoughtful perspective. So to have the opportunity to learn about the namesake of our university and for what it means to the student body, that’s the biggest thing for me.”

The event on Wilkins Plaza, named for Roger Wilkins, the late Black former civil rights leader, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and beloved Mason professor, was uplifting and reflective, and kicked off Mason's 50th anniversary celebration.

Mason President Gregory Washington called it “a landmark day for the university,” and praised the students who were involved in the original research — Farrow; Alexis Bracey, BA Global Affairs ’19; Ayman Fatima, BS Systems Engineering, BA Government and International Politics ’21; Farhaj Murshed, BS Statistics ’20; and Elizabeth Perez-Garcia, BS Criminology, Law, and Society ’19.

Those students joined a project launched in the summer of 2017 by Wendi Manuel-Scott, a professor of integrated studies and history; Benedict Carton, a faculty member in History and Art History; and Mason alum George Oberle, Mason’s history librarian and a term faculty member in the Department of History and Art History.

All are leaders in the Center for Mason Legacies, an interdisciplinary and collaborative research center established by the University Library and College of Humanities and Social Sciences that encourages student research to preserve and examine the legacy of George Mason IV. The university’s namesake penned the Virginia Declaration of Rights but also enslaved more than 100 people at his home, Gunston Hall.

Associate Professor of Public History Gabrielle Tayac and Mason students from the University’s Native American and Indigenous Alliance Domi Hannon, Sara Jefferson, and Kayleigh Seng participate in a traditional Native American Water Ceremony during the Dedication of the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

“The Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial represents so much about who we are as a university,” Washington said. “Inquisitive students who seek truth, undergraduate research programs that support these academic pursuits, faculty who collaborate, nurture and challenge our students, and a university community fueled by the shared thrill of discovery and the determination to turn their efforts into positive and sustainable change. … We grow wiser from examining our full truths, no matter how complicated or messy or discomforting they might be.”

Added Trishana Bowden, vice president of Mason’s office of Advancement and Alumni Relations, and president of the ��AV Foundation: “This project has allowed our students to educate us, to enlighten us and to teach us how to keep moving forward, and how to remember our past.”

That included a water ceremony in which water from the Potomac River was poured into the Wilkins Plaza fountain, which contains stones in a pattern that symbolize an African custom of gathering and prayer. The ceremony, led by Gabrielle Tayac, an associate professor of public history and a Piscataway tribal citizen, also acknowledged that the land on which the university was built was originally inhabited by indigenous people.

"The memorial for all of us was about replacing erased history through silenced voices of the enslaved people in relation to and in dialogue with the traditional voices,” Manuel-Scott said. “We hope that folk who visit the memorial, that it forces them to think about the relationship between the past and the present."

Rev. Jeffrey O. Johnson Sr., pastor at nearby Mount Calvary Baptist Church, said he hopes the memorial will push other universities and institutions to move forward and “that we will not bring the founding fathers down, but in pride and dignity, we will lift their servants up.”

Ayman Fatima (left) and Kye Farrow, both part of the original team of five students researching the enslaved people at Gunston Hall, greet each other at the Enslaved People of George Mason dedication ceremony. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Topics

DEI

Masonat50

Office of the President

Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial to be dedicated

Colleen Rich — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 16:08:11 +0000

Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial to be dedicated Colleen Rich Mon, 03/28/2022 - 12:08

It was the summer of 2017, and five ��AV students and three faculty members were beginning their research into the children enslaved by George Mason IV, the university’s namesake.

Wendi Manuel-Scott, a professor of integrative studies and history, and one of the faculty members on the project, recalled how the students at one point “began to talk about how it would be awesome if years from now they came to campus and there’s a plaque that honors the enslaved people held by George Mason.”

As it turned out, they got much more than a plaque, as what was the Enslaved Children of George Mason project led to the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, a focal point of how the university is addressing its identity as it relates to a complicated Patriot.

“The purpose of the project was to raise awareness about George Mason IV, the man, the patriot and the slaveholder,” Manuel-Scott said. “Our goal was to focus on expanding our community’s understanding of Mason, and to focus on the people he owned and what they thought about freedom.”

The memorial on the Fairfax Campus (see the video) is the centerpiece of the newly renovated Wilkins Plaza, named for the African American civil rights leader, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and beloved Mason professor.

One panel is dedicated to to Penny, an enslaved girl given by Mason to his daughter. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

It will be dedicated at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 4, as part of the university’s 50th anniversary celebration.

“I started that project the summer after my sophomore year, and it sounded cool to have research that maybe would contribute to a memorial on campus," said Mason alum Kye Farrow, BA History ’19, MS Management ’20. "But it was really difficult at the time to see how it would get there. So, yes, still today, I'm absolutely amazed the work we did went to the product that's there today."

Other students on the project were Alexis Bracey, BA Global Affairs ’19; Ayman Fatima, BS Systems Engineering, BA Government and International Politics ’21; Farhaj Murshed, BS Statistics ’20; and Elizabeth Perez-Garcia, BS Criminology, Law, and Society ’19.

It was important each student came from a different academic discipline, Manuel-Scott said.

“Each brought a different way of seeing and thinking, and a different way to analyze and explore records,” she said. “That interdisciplinarity created a richness in terms of the project.”

Mason faculty Gabrielle Tayac and Wendi Manuel-Scott gather water from the Potomac River to use in the fountain on Wilkins Plaza. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

The project was launched by Manuel-Scott; Benedict Carton, a faculty member in History and Art History; and Mason alum George Oberle, Mason’s history librarian and a term faculty member in the Department of History and Art History.

The Enslaved People of George Mason project “shows that Mason is striving to be an exemplar institution in relation to the idea of promoting student inquiry and being open to where that goes and takes us, even if it’s not always a happy story,” Oberle said.

The memorial includes the iconic statue of Mason. A new pedestal includes four quotes which highlight the different aspects of his life, including the penning of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the foundation of the U.S. Bill of Rights. But Mason also enslaved more than 100 people at his Gunston Hall plantation and did not free any upon his death.

Memorial panels are also dedicated to Penny, an enslaved child given by Mason to his daughter, and James, Mason’s personal attendant. A fountain contains stones in a pattern that symbolize an African custom of gathering and prayer.

To acknowledge an altar that was constructed next to the Potomac River by the enslaved at Gunston Hall, and to acknowledge that the land on which the university was built was originally inhabited by indigenous people, water from the Potomac River will be poured into the fountain.

“It’s a way to interconnect the worlds, between the place of enslavement, the place of difficulty, but also a place that’s life-giving,” said Gabrielle Tayac, an associate professor of public history at Mason, and a Piscataway tribal citizen. “To pour the water into the fountain that recalls those connections and all of those hopes and dreams and memories the people had, it’s a way of awakening and blending those intentions.”

Said Carton: “Our project sought to guide students’ sense of moral duty, as they branched out to discover hidden histories. This duty is focused on reconstructing the everyday humanity of enslaved people whose lives had deep meaning, despite the cruelties of enslavement.”

“The moral duty,” he said, “is in the learning.”

Topics

Center for Mason Legacies

Masonat50

Campus Improvements (Construction)

diversity

DEI

Mason marks 50 years with yearlong celebration

Colleen Rich — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 15:52:26 +0000

Mason marks 50 years with yearlong celebration Colleen Rich Mon, 02/14/2022 - 10:52

On Friday, April 7, 1972, a group from George Mason College met with Virginia Governor A. Linwood Holton Jr. in Richmond. They were there to witness the governor sign into law Virginia General Assembly Bill H 210, which separated the college from the University of Virginia. With the stroke of a pen, ��AV, as we know it today, was born.

Mason is celebrating that first half-century and setting the tone for the next 50 years with a yearlong celebration that includes a week of festivities in April. The celebration kicked off at the Homecoming basketball games this past weekend with the video “Mason at 50.”

Many who attended the tailgate and games may have noticed that the university is also "decorating" to show our Patriot pride and create awareness of this special milestone. Soon the Arlington, Science and Technology, and Mason Korea campuses will also be sporting green and gold and the 50th mark.

"We are excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the university this year," said 50th Anniversary Planning Committee Co-Chair Rachel Lubar Quinn, assistant vice president, events and operations, in the Office of University Branding. "We are planning numerous events throughout the year to celebrate all the accomplishments the university has had over the last 50 years as well as the exciting plans for the future."

We're asking everyone to "save the date" for the week of April 4-8 and join in the following events:

Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial Dedication, April 4, 1:30 p.m., Wilkins Plaza
50th Anniversary Commemorative Celebration, April 7, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

April 7 will also be this year's Giving Day, which has been retooled for the milestone and is now called Mason Vision Day. This event presents an opportunity for Mason community to come together each year to identify and support a deserving campus initiative.

Beyond that week, the university is incorporating the anniversary into many events throughout the year, including groundbreakings at Arlington on April 6 and at SciTech on April 22, and Mason Day on April 22. More specifics on each of these events will follow as they get closer.

“Our alumni have such fond memories of Mason and we are excited to include them in all aspects of the 50th celebration," said Jenn Robinson, 50th Anniversary Planning Committee co-chair and associate vice president for alumni relations.

To help Mason shine, Creative Services in the Office of University Branding has created a 50th anniversary toolkit. School, colleges and other offices within Mason can access the 50th mark, templates, and other items there. The Mason basketball players are already wearing the 50th mark on uniforms.

As a part of the yearlong celebration, there will be several weekly series in The George email newsletter that will draw attention to Mason people, milestones, and moments. The Mason Trailblazers series will recognize a few of those faculty, staff, students, and alumni who helped put Mason on the map. These stories will also be shared on social media throughout the spring. The George will also be featuring one historical photo a week that tells a part of the Mason story.

The University Libraries Special Collections Research Center is also sharing historical Mason photos on Twitter at #gmuscrc50. The University Libraries staff are also working on several exhibits to showcase photographs and treasures from the Special Collections that can help tell Mason's story.

Mason Athletics kicked off its yearlong celebration of women in sports commemorating the 50th anniversary of Title IX at the women's basketball game against George Washington on Jan. 29 at its annual Sue Collins National Girls and Women in Sports Day game.

In honor of the historic anniversary, Athletics has put together a PSA and "What it Means to Me" videos capturing the voices of Patriot alumni who have thrived in athletics and in their careers in part due to the opportunities provided by the landmark legislation. Along with profiles of alumni, coaches and administrators, Mason will look back at some of the milestone achievements of its women's programs. You can find those videos here.

A special 50th website has been built to engage the Mason Nation in this special milestone and help those who are new to Mason learn how we arrived at this moment. The yearlong celebration will continue in the fall, and the website will provide a running list of events.

Special 50th anniversary commemorative items are also being created and can be found here and here.

"It is a wonderful opportunity to bring people back to campus to showcase our amazing university," said Quinn.

Topics

Masonat50

Alumni

The Core Campus Project is done ... almost

Damian Cristodero — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 19:53:09 +0000

The Core Campus Project is done ... almost Damian Cristodero Tue, 12/14/2021 - 14:53

The meditation labyrinth (center) is one of the finishing touches to the Core Campus Project, which over three-plus years of construction has remade the center of the Fairfax Campus. Photo by Cathy Pinskey/Facilities.

The Core Campus Project, which for the past three-plus years has reshaped and remade the center of ��AV’s Fairfax Campus, will be largely finished by the time faculty and staff return from winter break.

The final steps to be done by Jan. 3 include completion of the meditation labyrinth and a new dining patio outside the side entrance to SUB I. Even the “Woman in Hammock” statue that used to stand next to the demolished Robinson A building will again be displayed.

All that will remain after that, said Cathy Pinskey, program director at Mason Facilities, is the furniture move-in at the refurbished Harris Theatre. That should be accomplished so faculty and staff can access the building by Jan. 12. Classes are set to begin there on Jan. 24.

“It’s very rewarding, I have to say,” Pinskey said of the project’s completion. “It’s just been a great project and a great addition to the center of campus. It really transformed everything. I’m very happy we’re crossing this threshold.”

Anchoring the project, which broke ground in the summer of 2018 after two and a half years of planning and design, is Horizon Hall, a six-floor, 218,000-square-foot academic center that replaced the antiquated Robinson A and B buildings.

Wilkins Plaza now extends from Southside to the Mason Pond Parking Deck and includes the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial.

There is a new amphitheater with seating, tables, chairs, event power sources and accessible Wi-Fi, and extensive green space with dozens of trees replacing the trees that were taken out to make room for the expanded plaza. Some of those trees were repurposed to create the wood benches in Horizon Hall.

Harris Theatre will seem like a different space after a complete overhaul that added a new lobby, bathrooms, ticket office, and stage floor. There is a new sprinkler system, HVAC system, house lights and carpeting, new accessible dressing rooms, expanded backstage storage and refreshed dressing rooms on the lower level.

“The success of the Core Campus Project had a lot to do with the architects, the engineers and the contractor,” Pinskey added. “Particularly, with all the challenges: the length of the project, construction fatigue and the pandemic.”

On the project from the beginning was the design firm of Perkins&Will (Stephanie Wolfgang and Paul Harney, project managers) and the construction firm of Whiting-Turner (Perry Mahle and Jeff Downs, project managers).

The Mason project inspectors were Greg Rahimzadeh and Mirwais Safi.

“It’s really transformative,” Wolfgang said of the project. “It really changed the entire atmosphere in the center of campus. It really helps create that student-life corridor that wasn’t there before.”

Asked how she felt with the project coming to an end, Wolfgang said, “I just wish that I’ll have another project filled with as much meaning as we were able to embed in this one. Will I be able to have clients who were as engaged, students who were as engaged, faculty who were as engaged? I hope so.

“It’s a huge point of pride and a sense of accomplishment,” she added. “I hope others enjoy the space as much as I do seeing it complete.

Topics

Core Campus Project

See the video to learn more.

Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial highlights Wilkins Plaza

Colleen Rich — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:52:21 +0000

Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial highlights Wilkins Plaza Colleen Rich Wed, 11/03/2021 - 12:52

When Wendi Manuel-Scott walks through the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, she sees more than an acknowledgement that the namesake of ��AV was both an American patriot and a slaveowner.

She sees the result of Mason students asserting their voices.

“We want students to feel empowered,” said Manuel-Scott, a professor of history in the School of Integrative Studies and associate director of the Center for Mason Legacies. “We want students to carve out spaces to make our communities more inclusive and sustainable for all.”

That is exactly what happened in 2016 when students, mentored by faculty, delved into the little-known legacy of George Mason IV. The result was the Enslaved Children of George Mason Project, which revealed the lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked at Gunston Hall, Mason’s home in Northern Virginia.

That project led to the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, which recently opened as the centerpiece of the redesigned Wilkins Plaza on the Fairfax Campus, and is the focal point of how the university is addressing its identity as it relates to a complicated Patriot.

“Courage, debate and truth define this reexamination,” said Benedict Carton, an associate professor of history and an associate director of the Center for Mason Legacies. “Our submerged histories can be recovered. Our unknown histories can speak. Our multi-perspective histories are alive with different understandings of evidence and inquiry.”

The memorial includes panels describing the lives of two of the enslaved at Gunston Hall: Penny, who was gifted by Mason to his daughter, and James, Mason’s personal attendant.

A fountain lined with a pattern of stones symbolizes an African custom practiced at Gunston Hall. Enslaved people used the Gunston Hall site to pray and look to their origins across the sea, Carton said.

The fountain includes a quote from Roger Wilkins, the late African American civil rights leader, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and Mason Robinson Professor for whom the plaza is named.

The four quotes added to the base of the George Mason IV statue, which is also part of the memorial, “exemplify four Masons in one,” said Mason historian George Oberle, director of the Center for Mason Legacies.

The quotes highlight the brilliant legal scholar, who penned the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was the basis of our nation’s Bill of Rights; the defender of freedoms for a limited few; the enslaver of Black men, women and children; and the father of nine who provided for his family.

“The memorial is an opportunity to face the fullness of who Mason IV was and who we are as an institution, in the past and present,” Manuel-Scott said. “The memorial gives us an incredible opportunity to reckon with the past and care for those erased by structures of inequality and domination.”

“It is a weighty responsibility,” she said. “An opportunity not to be taken lightly.”

Topics

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Redesigned Wilkins Plaza on Fairfax Campus is open

Colleen Rich — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 20:18:06 +0000

Redesigned Wilkins Plaza on Fairfax Campus is open Colleen Rich Mon, 08/16/2021 - 16:18

The reimagined Wilkins Plaza is open after two-plus years of construction.

It includes a boulevard-like east-west walkway that extends from the Mason Pond Parking Deck to Southside.

The plaza, named for the late Roger Wilkins, the famed civil rights leader, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former Robinson Professor of History and American Culture at Mason, is part of the Core Campus Project that has remade the central Fairfax Campus.

It is anchored by the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, which includes the intertwined narratives of two of George Mason IV’s slaves, the iconic George Mason statue, and the new Wilkins Fountain.

At the base of the Mason statue are four of Mason’s quotes that help explain his important and complex role in American history as the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and a slaveholder.

“Considered together, the entire plaza creates an axis of dialogue, with the Mason statue representing the traditional voice, the memorial panels representing the hidden voices, and the painted walls represent the voices of student organizations,” said Cathy Pinskey, program director at Mason Facilities. “To me that’s the most exciting part of it. It was always going to be a great plaza, but the addition of the memorial and the fountain make it uniquely Mason.”

The plaza was designed by landscape architects Perkins&Will in association with a diverse team of Mason faculty, staff and students. Perkins&Will also designed the new Horizon Hall. Whiting-Turner is handling the Core Campus Project construction.

There is still more work to be done on the Core Campus Project, with the green space adjacent to Horizon Hall and the plaza scheduled to open in late fall, and the redesigned Harris Theatre scheduled to open for the Spring 2022 semester, Pinskey said.

But the plaza is something special, said Stephanie Wolfgang, a senior landscape architect at Perkins&Will and the lead designer for the plaza project.

“Shedding light on the stories of those who have been underrepresented throughout history is a goal of Perkins&Will,” Wolfgang said. “When a narrative of equity and inclusion is so integral to our design and supported by our client’s values, it’s professionally rewarding.”

Topics

Core Campus Project

Check out a video of the move.

George Mason statue returns to Wilkins Plaza

Colleen Rich — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 19:40:11 +0000

George Mason statue returns to Wilkins Plaza Colleen Rich Thu, 06/24/2021 - 15:40

Fifty-three weeks after it was moved to Holton Plaza to make way for construction related to the Core Campus Project, the iconic George Mason statue was returned to its home on ��AV’s Wilkins Plaza.

The statue, located on the plaza between the Johnson Center and the deLaski Performing Arts Building, will be part of the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial that is expected to be installed by the week of July 19.

The memorial, designed by landscape architects Perkins & Will, in association with a diverse team of Mason faculty, staff and students, intertwines the narratives of two of George Mason IV’s slaves: Penny, a 10-year-old girl, and James, Mason’s personal manservant.

“The replacement of the statue marks another significant milestone in the Core Campus Project,” Cathy Pinskey, program director at Mason Facilities, said of the project that is transforming the center of the Fairfax Campus. “With the installation of the memorial, it won’t be long until the entire reimagining of Wilkins Plaza is complete.”

The moving of the bronze Mason statue by the Baltimore firm of North American Millwright was fairly straightforward.

After it was loosened from its base, the statue was picked up by a forklift, strapped onto the back of a flatbed truck and shuttled from Holton Plaza to Wilkins Plaza.

There it was placed on a newly constructed base that includes some of Mason’s most famous writings, which explain his important and complex role in American history, as author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and a slaveholder.

The statue’s next appointment is for a thorough cleaning and application of a protective wax finish, Pinskey said.

As for the constructed base upon which the Mason statue sat at Holton Plaza, Pinskey said the next occupant is to be determined.

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George Mason statue