Focus on The Dream (sculpture) and explain the Description.
The Dream is an 8-foot (2.4 m) bronze statue depicting Martin Luther King Jr. It is located at the intersection of Northeast Holladay Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, outside the northeast corner of the Oregon Convention Center in the Rose Quarter of Portland's Lloyd District. King is shown "stepping forward with conviction to deliver his powerful message". He is surrounded by three allegorical figures: behind and to King's right is a young white man with his sleeves rolled up who symbolizes the working American; directly behind King is a woman wading ashore who represents the country's immigration history; and behind and to the left of King is a young girl, shown releasing King's coattail, who represents "intergenerational respect". According to Dente, the working-class man "has come to the realization and made the decision to step forward to announce his support for the universal message of equality, freedom and justice". Dente described the girl's release of King's coattail as "a 'letting go' process when one or more members of a family is called away to contribute their energy and time to a concept and struggle of greatest importance to all people of the world."
The artist dedicated the monument to King's sacrifices, to those who believe in King's message, and to the "ongoing march for truth and justice". Business and organizations that contributed $10,000 or more to the project are recognized at the statue. Funders included ARCO, Chevron Corporation, Fred Meyer, The Greenbrier Companies/Gunderson, Inc., International Art Group, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, Meier & Frank, Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon Labor Unions AFL–CIO, Oregon Lottery, Portland Development Commission, Portland Trail Blazers, RH Parker/United Foundation, US West, and the William G. Gilmore Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. The work is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection, courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.Seventy-five bronze replicas exist; once the replicas were purchased, Dente planned to send pieces of the mold to each of the replicas' owners.
US West Oregon Lottery Rose Quarter ARCO Legacy Emanuel Medical Center AFL–CIO Meier & Frank Regional Arts & Culture Council right Lloyd District Kaiser Permanente Oregon Health & Science University Portland Trail Blazers allegorical Oregon Community Foundation Oregon Convention Center Chevron Corporation Fred Meyer Portland Portland Development Commission left Martin Luther King Jr.