Glenn Kaino, Bridge, 2013-2014, fiberglass, steel, wire and gold paint, dimensions variable, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2022.34, © 2013-2014, Glenn KainoIn anticipation of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) will unveil a long-term installation by artist Glenn Kaino that pays tribute to Olympian Tommie Smith’s historic 1968 protest. Upon being awarded a gold medal at the Mexico City Olympic Games, Smith raised his black-gloved fist as a call against social injustice, a gesture echoed by bronze medalist John Carlos and seen around the world. Part of an ongoing collaboration between Kaino and the Olympic track and field athlete, Bridge (2013-2014) serves as both a memorial to this powerful act and the legacy of that action through time.
The monumental work, acquired by SAAM in 2022, comprises 200 gold-painted casts of Smith’s fisted, outstretched arm suspended in a wave formation from the three-story high ceiling of the Luce Foundation Center, home to the museum’s visible art storage and the former west wing of the historic Patent Office. Stretching approximately 100 feet long, the sculpture reaches both backwards and forward, suggesting the enduring impact of symbolic protest in bridging the past to inspire activism in our own time.
Opening July 26, 2024—ongoing
Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th and G Streets NW
[Version update: the news brief was updated on June 27 to reflect the new opening date for the public opening of the installation]
[Source: SAAM Press Release]
