If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it, 2019

Narrator: Sherald came across the photograph that this painting is based off of when she was researching iconic American imagery. The 1932 photo has long symbolized American industrial ambition. 

Amy Sherald: Yet, it omits the significant role Black Americans played in building this nation's greatness and its cities. My re-imagining does not dismiss the labor of the men in the original image, but instead broadens the narrative.

This painting started with multiple figures that I photographed and decided that one single figure was more powerful in representing my idea than several. Through this work, I want to underscore that historical reclamation is not about replacement, it's about expansion. By isolating a single figure where there was once a collective, I shift the focus from a broad historical moment to an intimate, deeply personal reflection on Black presence within America's built environment. 

The original photograph represents the grit and determination of working class immigrants, many of whom were Irish, Italian and Mohawk iron workers who built New York's skyline during the Great Depression. It celebrates their role in shaping modern America. My re-interpretation and replacement of its original construction workers with a Black figure is prompt for a deeper consideration of whose stories get told.

History is not static, but constantly shaped by the perspectives that are amplified. I think there's a way to create equality without making the rest of the room feel like they're going to just disappear and they're not being acknowledged anymore. I think there's a balance.