Spiral Odyssey

Spiral Odyssey. Richard Hunt. Richard Hunt created Spiral Odyssey as a tribute to his friend, Romare Bearden (1911-1988). Bearden and Hunt were the first contemporary African American artists to have solo exhibitions at New York Museum of Modern Art in 1971., In 1963, Romare Bearden played a pivotal role in the founding of a collective of African American artists known as the "Spiral Group" who actively participated in the Civil Rights movement. In the manner of the Archimedean spiral that advances by radiating outward to embrace all directions, the elegant spiral formed by Richard Hunt's sculpture symbolizes the widening influence of the Spiral Group. It also represents the circular nature of progress and the complexities of Bearden's multifaceted career, which even in its legacy continues to ascend., The Odyssey, Homer's epic poem chronicling the hero's perilous voyage home, inspired Bearden as well as Hunt. A form resembling a ship's bow serves as the base of Hunt's sculpture. A journeying vessel, the ship alludes to forward momentum as well as the suffering experienced by enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage. The sculpture's ascending height attests to a fortitude of character , strength, tenacity, and liberty. Whimsical vignettes mimicking fish surfing in the ship's wake, and generative plant life forms inspired by the surrounding garden, signify resiliency and regeneration.