-Liberty Bell c. 1938

This metal Liberty Bell lives at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and was made by an anonymous artist. It looks like it’s been cast, maybe in bronze, or some copper alloy, and then patinated to give it an antique look. I imagine the process of pouring the molten metal into a mold, watching it cool, and then carefully breaking away the outer shell. This unknown artist probably thought about the symbolism of the bell, a symbol of freedom, yes, but also its brokenness. The crack isn't hidden; it's right there, staring us in the face. I love how the words proclaim, liberty, and throughout all the land are etched around its circumference. It makes you think about how we, as artists, and citizens, are constantly echoing and reinterpreting the past. We add our own cracks and imperfections to the story. It reminds me of Rauschenberg’s erasures. Just as he was interested in a conversation with De Kooning, this artist is in dialogue with the very idea of American freedom.