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By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Birmingham’s civil rights history is etched into its streets, buildings and public spaces. But as generations of movement foot soldiers pass away and the preservation of historical memory faces new challenges, a local art project is asking residents to consider what happens when the responsibility of remembering falls on the public.
The Sacred Ordinary, a new public art installation in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District, uses illuminated everyday objects and sound to encourage visitors to engage with the city’s history in a different way.
The installation is produced by 1504, a narrative studio that integrates strategic communications with the visual arts, presented by the Ministry of Culture and created in partnership with the National Parks Conservation Association. The Sacred Ordinary opened Nov. 2 and will remain available through Dec. 13. The free experience takes visitors on a self-guided nighttime walk beginning at Kelly Ingram Park.
Rather than traditional historical markers or informational signs, the installation features familiar civic objects, including newspaper vending machines, postal boxes and dumpsters. During the day, the objects blend into their surroundings. After dark, they illuminate from within, drawing attention to locations connected to Birmingham’s history.
Visitors can begin the approximately 30-minute experience by texting “HERE” to (205) 784-2321. The installation is open nightly from 5 to 8 p.m.
‘We preserve what we value’
Tyler Jones, director of 1504, said the project grew out of a broader interest in preserving places of communal memory and was inspired in part by the work of Birmingham artist Joe Minter.
Two years ago, 1504 produced an installation connected to Minter’s work in Tarrant. Jones said the experience, along with the studio’s involvement in efforts to preserve Minter’s artwork, helped shape the vision for The Sacred Ordinary.
While the earlier project focused on an individual artist’s work, the new installation expands the conversation to the preservation of Birmingham’s historic places and the stories attached to them.
“I really believe every generation has to recommit to preserving that history,” Jones said.
Andre HollandThe installation features narration introduced by actor André Holland, who became connected to the project through his own preservation efforts involving the historic Lincoln Theatre in Bessemer. Jones said Holland’s interest in preserving places of communal memory made him a natural fit for the project.
For Jones, the timing of the installation matters because Birmingham faces a generational transition in how it remembers and shares its civil rights history.
Many of the people who participated in the movement are passing away, creating an urgency around preserving their experiences and ensuring younger generations understand the significance of the places where history unfolded.
“The public has a part to play, I believe, and not only the public, but I think art has a role to play as well,” Jones said.
He believes art can create an emotional connection to history that traditional interpretation sometimes cannot.
“Art can sometimes sidestep the brain and just go straight to the heart,” he said. “And that’s where I think history really comes alive, is when you feel a deep personal connection to it.”
The project’s central message is captured in its statement, “We preserve what we value.” It raises questions about what happens when preservation itself becomes endangered, particularly as historic signage and the interpretation of American history face challenges.
Jones said historical markers and memorials remain important, but they cannot be the only means of sustaining public memory.
The installation instead asks visitors to slow down, pay attention to their surroundings and consider their own responsibility in protecting places that hold meaning for their communities.
Ultimately, The Sacred Ordinary is intended to be more than a nighttime art experience. (Provided)A Blueprint for Collective Action
For Jones, Birmingham offers an example of how collective action can extend beyond a particular moment in history.
Through his previous work with the Equal Justice Initiative on community remembrance projects, he developed a deeper interest in how public spaces can connect people to difficult histories. He also pointed to the organization’s work at Temple Beth-El, where the In Solidarity: The Bethel Civil Rights Experience invites young people to examine the history of activism and the meaning of standing together.
Tyler Jones, director of 1504, said the project grew out of a broader interest in preserving places of communal memory and was inspired in part by the work of Birmingham artist Joe Minter. (Create Birmingham)Seeing students engage with Birmingham’s history has reinforced his belief that the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement remain relevant beyond the city.
“Birmingham provides a blueprint for collective action that is universal and timeless,” Jones said.
Ultimately, The Sacred Ordinary is intended to be more than a nighttime art experience. Jones describes it as a small project intended to contribute to a much larger conversation about how communities preserve their history when traditional institutions cannot do the work alone.
“These stories are extremely important to not just our city, but to the American story,” Jones said.
Through light, sound and familiar objects placed throughout the Civil Rights District, the installation invites Birmingham residents and visitors to consider not only what the city remembers, but what each generation is willing to do to keep those memories alive.
The project also brought community members and local voices together for a public conversation about preservation. In Conversation: Beyond Signage — The Future of History in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District was held Monday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the 16th Street Education & Visitors Center. The free panel explored the future of historical interpretation in Birmingham and how communities can work together to preserve and share the stories connected to the Civil Rights District.
The Sacred Ordinary is free and open nightly from 5 to 8 p.m. through Dec. 13. Visitors can begin the self-guided experience by texting “HERE” to 205-784-2321. More information is available at ministryofculture.org/the-sacred-ordinary.
