In the context of Amistad Memorial (New Haven), explore the Commissioning of the memorial of the History.
In 1988, citizens of New Haven resurrected the Amistad Committee to organize events to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Amistad affair. Most prominently, the committee raised funds for the New Haven memorial to be constructed, formed an assembly to construct the Amistad replica, and developed the idea for the Connecticut Freedom Trail, which includes the memorial. In 1992, Khalid Lum, a New Haven writer and activist said about the memorial, "many people who are familiar with the Amistad revolt feel it’s not only a matter of commemorating a historical event. It is also a thin hope and chance that some of the spirit that resulted in Cinque’s and his cohorts’ freedom might be generated."The Amistad Committee specifically desired that an African-American artist should design and build the memorial, so it contacted predominantly black schools to find a sculptor. The artist who ended up building the sculpture, Ed Hamilton, was not initially informed of the competition. He found out through his friend Earl J. Hooks while he was on holiday. He and four other artists submitted portfolios, but none of them passed jury approval. After asking the artists to re-submit, three were invited to come to the city. Only Hamilton accepted the invitation.Ed Hamilton, the sculptor of the Amistad Memorial, is an African-American artist, and was born in 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio, currently residing near Louisville, KY.  He attended Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and has been a sculptor and artist for most of his life. His primary works are public sculptures of African-Americans that have made positive contributions to the lives of Americans. One notable work was his Booker T. Washington Memorial, designed and built in 1983-1984.Hamilton designed a plaster model of the Amistad Memorial, which now resides at the African-American Historical Society in New Haven, Connecticut. He then made the armature for the clay sculpture which was cast in bronze in Louisville, Kentucky and set atop a triangular base of granite.
Louisville, KY New Haven, Connecticut Louisville, Kentucky New Haven Ed Hamilton Connecticut Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati