MONTGOMERY – The city of Montgomery, Montgomery County and the Public Art Commission (PAC) today dedicated three new art installations adorning the last leg of the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights Trail. A mural at 121 Montgomery Street, a sculpture at Five Points and the sculpture's negative at the City of St. Jude will greet visitors during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March.
 
"This is an emotional moment for me -- it's an emotional moment because Montgomery is a very historic city," Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said. "It was easy to say yes to this idea -- this idea presented by so many people that we needed to do something to not only commemorate, but to honor for all time the great heroism of those foot soldiers 50 years ago. I'm indebted to each and every one that has put their shoulder to the wheel."

PAC selected Montgomery native Sunny Paulk to create a mural at 121 Montgomery St. to honor the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement -- including many who may return for the reenactment of the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March. Paulk's proposal beat those of artists from across the country, including California, Texas and New York. Each proposal was reviewed based on mural design and theme, experience with outdoor murals, reason for interest in project, artist location with preference given to River Region artists and timeline for project completion.
 
In addition, PAC commissioned local artists and business owners, Jon Cook and Barrett Bailey, and their New Jersey colleague, Robert Minervini, to design and install two sculptures along the Voting Rights Trail: one at Five Points and the other on the campus of the City of St. Jude. Local business owner Chuck Parkinson and welders Chauncey Harmon and Robbie Parker assisted the team. The artists approached their design in hopes of incorporating the past and the present in a direct way. The first sculpture is a cut-out of the second, with both depicting the marchers. The St. Jude sculpture's arc illustrates how far the community has progressed in 50 years. 
 
“These pieces are part of a larger effort to advance public art downtown and throughout our community,” Public Art Commission Chairperson Ashley Ledbetter said. “As part of our revitalization, we must embrace and incorporate public art everywhere we can to enhance residents’ and visitors’ overall experience in Montgomery -- especially those visiting this month to honor the legacy of the civil rights foot soldiers.”