MAKING MONUMENTS
  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • LAS ABUELAS DE LA PLAZO DE MAYO
  • IWAO MATSUHITA
  • ERNESTINE ANDERSON
  • KATHERINE DUNHAM
  • MOFFAT TAKADIWA
  • ELLA BAKER
  • KIYOSHI KUROMIYA
  • OCTAVIA BUTLER
  • SYLVIA RIVERA
  • STANDIFER
  • MLK
  • CARSON
  • LIN
  • SULLIVAN
  • HARING
  • KNIGHT
  • GILLES
  • Research Examples

Lou Sullivan

Picture
Louis Sullivan, 1951-91, was a white American activist and writer based in San Francisco - he is largely responsible for our current Western understanding of gender and sexuality as distinct concepts. His writing and activism often centered his own life as a transgender gay man, an intersectional identity that was thought not to exist during his lifetime. Because of his identities he was denied health care. He founded and worked with many organizations (FTM international, the FTM newsletter, the GLBT Historical Society…), and he kept a very descriptive diary from age ten until his death of AIDS-related complications in 1991. His entries detail his joys, struggles with healthcare denial, relationships, and desire to create a record for trans folks in the future. 

My Wayfinder starts from whatever angle you see it from first - its location in the Commons makes it visible from all angles. The “front,” or the teal side farthest from the wall, depicts Lou, Jack Bee Garland in silhouette, and some of Lou’s writing. Lou wrote a book on Garland, a fellow trans man, thereby connecting across generations. Lou’s name and writing are in mirror pen - I hope you can see yourself in the light reflected from them. The “back” is a pink/purple - this is to represent the ways in which Lou didn’t fit into typical masculine stereotypes. Look at the back from different angles and various images will appear. For me, the thing that connects me to Lou is his writing; therefore, the arm part is meant to represent the pages of a book. Gold chains represent connection, as well as Lou’s appreciation of jewelry. Finally we come to the mount on the wall - the silver creates a reflection point for the viewer. 
​
Picture

Letter used on "front"
​Image credit

Picture

Picture of Lou holding his book on Garland
 Image credit

Picture

Notice Lou's sign-off
​Image credit

Included here are pages from notebooks we used to plan our monuments. We went on site visits around the city and took notes so we’d be better informed while creating our own memorials. We visited the BLM mural and the Aids Memorial Pathway (AMP) on Capitol Hill, the Pacific Bonsai Museum, the George Washington statue at UW to discuss the politics of removing monuments, and finally we spent a day learning about Maya Lin’s Confluence Project. The AMP influenced my project the most because the monument made me think about community space and what I wanted to add. Lou’s voice became more important by thinking about what he would bring to the community. You’ll also notice a large, messy piece of paper where I did most of my final planning for the memorial, including paint swatches, sketches, and elbow grease. 
ARTIST BIO: Tomi Jinks | they/them | class of 2022
Nonbinary artist hoping young people can be empowered by history. Special thanks to Link from Breath of the Wild for being himself and James Blake, who did all the construction for the Wayfinders.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • LAS ABUELAS DE LA PLAZO DE MAYO
  • IWAO MATSUHITA
  • ERNESTINE ANDERSON
  • KATHERINE DUNHAM
  • MOFFAT TAKADIWA
  • ELLA BAKER
  • KIYOSHI KUROMIYA
  • OCTAVIA BUTLER
  • SYLVIA RIVERA
  • STANDIFER
  • MLK
  • CARSON
  • LIN
  • SULLIVAN
  • HARING
  • KNIGHT
  • GILLES
  • Research Examples