Mining the Museum: Busts, globe, and pedestals

Description

The image depicts works on display in "Mining the Museum," a 1992-1993 installation by artist Fred Wilson at the Maryland Historical Society. In Mining the Museum, Wilson used the museum's collections to confront and challenge perceptions about history, culture, and race. It was a joint exhibition with The Contemporary in Baltimore. The items on display in this image include busts of historic figures Henry Clay, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Andrew Jackson; a silver plated copper globe in the center known as the "Truth Trophy" and awarded for truth in advertising, designed and crafted by Mr. Thoman and produced by the Stieff Company; and three empty pedestals labeled Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Benjamin Banneker, all Black Marylanders.