Words from the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels etched into the sidewalk at the front doors of the new Memphis–Shelby County Public Library have drawn criticism from three city officials who think the slogan might offend some patrons, including local veterans who fought to stop communism.
“Workers of the world, unite!” is one of several quotations—including others from the U.S. Constitution, the Bible, and works by Shakespeare—and illustrations featured in an outdoor display designed for the library by Garrison Roots and Brad and Diana Goldberg. The untitled artwork is designed to look like a partially unrolled scroll.
County Commissioner Marilyn Loeffel said the work’s concept is good. “I just think the prominence given to that motto is inappropriate,” she said in the November 29 Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Loeffel and two other city officials met with members of the nonprofit group that coordinated the library’s art November 27 to discuss possible alternatives. Art Commission Director Carissa Hussong said they were looking for “a solution that works for everybody, without defacing the artwork while acknowledging the concerns people have.”
Posted December 3, 2001.