-Liberty Bell c. 1919

This Liberty Bell at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, by an anonymous artist, is small in scale, but not in ambition. Just under four inches, the object is weighty in what it represents. When I look at this, I immediately think of the physical act of making something. The artist probably had to use tools, to hammer, to chisel, to engrave – the labor of construction involved in bringing something into being. I sympathize with the artist. What was it like to create? What were they thinking when they made it? The bell's surface has a cool and hard metallic texture, and the engraved inscription speaks of liberty. But that crack! It’s a scar, a glitch in the surface. It also creates a space of inquiry for the viewer. It reminds us that nothing is perfect. Like all artists, this anonymous artist is in a conversation, across time, with the rest of us. The act of making is an embodied expression of the self. What would it sound like if we rang it?