The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces the Baltimore debut of Society’s Cage, an experiential public art installation, to be exhibited on War Memorial Plaza, at 101 North Gay Street, from Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 30, 2020, 9AM – 9PM daily. Created by architects Dayton Schroeter and Julian Arrington in the aftermath of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, the installation highlights the historic forces of racialized state violence in America. As both a powerful work of public art, and a racial and social justice teaching tool open to all, Society’s Cage debuts in Baltimore as a signature event for this year’s Free Fall Baltimore, presented by BGEand Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), and produced by Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, with programming support from the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Baltimore).
ABOUT SOCIETY’S CAGE
Society’s Cage is a fully accessible, raised, open-air pavilion that educates visitors about the Black American experience. The design is rooted in the fundamental question: “What is the value of Black Life in America?” and is shaped by data graphs describing how Black Americans have been impacted by 400+ years of anti-Black state violence. 500 hanging steel bars form a cavernous cube with a habitable void allowing visitors to experience the symbolic weight of institutional racism. A commissioned soundscape offer an emotive experience designed to build empathy and understanding. The installation offers the opportunity to consider the severity of racial biases within our institutional structures of justice and allows for moments of reflection and healing.
Society’s Cage was first exhibited this summer on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Initiated by a diverse team of architects at SmithGroup, one of the nation’s leading integrated design firms and led by designers Dayton Schroeter and Julian Arrington, the Society’s Cage installation was created as a way for the design team to contribute to the ongoing conversations about racism in our society using their craft of architecture. SmithGroup is the lead sponsor for Society’s Cage and is partnered with The Architects Foundation to raise funds for their Diversity Advancement scholarship program through the installation, to support historically underrepresented youth to pursue careers in architecture. The initial opening of the installation coincided with the 2020 March on Washington in support of Black Lives on August
28, 2020. Thousands visited the installation during the 16 days it was installed at the 12th Street NW site on the National Mall. The exhibition travels to Baltimore this month and then plans to continue touring cities across the country.
VISIT SOCIETY’S CAGE
The Society’s Cage installation will be on view to the public from Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 30, 2020 at War Memorial Plaza, 101 North Gay Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, 9AM to 9PM daily. More information about the installation is available at www.smithgroup.com/societys-cage.
